Paneer Korma

Paneer Korma is a creamy curry made with Indian cottage cheese, coconut milk and spices. This classic gluten-free paneer curry goes well with naan bread or any flavoured rice.

Paneer korma perfect to have on curry night or on weekend meals. It is a great dish to have on weekdays with premade korma paste when you are craving a simple paneer curry to pair with chapati or paratha. Pre-made korma paste could be used to make curry with any leftover precooked vegetables or this chickpea spinach curry. Follow the steps mentioned in "to make paneer korma", replace paneer with chickpea, spinach or any pre cooked vegetables that you intend to use. 

Paneer is one of the the most loved and preferred ingredient in an Indian cuisine. Paneer is used to cook range of Indian dishes from appetisers such as Paneer Majestic to delicious curries such as Kadai Paneer, Malai Matar Paneer, Paneer Makhani, Methi Malai Paneer , classic British Indian restaurant style Paneer Jalfrezi, rice, side dishes to snacks. 

Ingredients

• Oil and Butter
• Paneer: I have used store bought paneer in this recipe. Feel free to use homemade paneer.
• Nuts & Whole spices: cloves, cassia, cardamom, cumin, cashews. Feel free to use almonds, melon seeds or combination of both instead of cashews.
• Vegetables: onion, green chillies, tomato, ginger, garlic.
• Coconut milk: I use full fat coconut milk to get the creamy texture.
• Dry Spices: turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

To make korma paste

Soak cashews in hot water for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a deep-bottomed pan.

Once the oil is hot, add cardamom, cloves and cassia and fry for a minute or until fragrant.

Add ginger, garlic, green chilli and saute for a minute.

Now reduce the heat, add the onion and cook for 10 minutes or until they turn brown.

Keep stirring regularly to prevent the onion from sticking to the base of the pan. 

Then add tomato and cook for a couple of minutes or until they start to turn soft.

Now mix in turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and cumin powder, cook for 2-3 minutes or until the raw aroma of spices vanishes.

Switch off the heat and allow the cooked curry mixture to cool down completely.
Transfer the mixture to a blender, add soaked cashews and blend to a smooth paste.

To make paneer korma 

Heat a ¼ cup of oil over medium-low heat in a shallow pan.

Once the oil is hot, fry the paneer cubes for 3-4 minutes or until they turn light brown. 

Flip and fry the other side until golden brown. 

Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil.  

Melt butter in a deep-bottomed pan.

Add the korma paste, coconut milk and salt, close the pan with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes, take the lid off the pan, add fried paneer, mix well and switch the heat off. 

Serve the creamy and delicious paneer korma with flatbread or any flavoured rice of your choice.

Substitutions

Vegan: substitute paneer with tofu and butter with oil or plant-based butter.

Low calorie: substitute coconut milk with yogurt. You must blend the yogurt with cooked vegetables. 

Variations

Use the combination of coconut milk and coconut cream for a rich and intense coconut flavour. You could use up the leftover tinned coconut milk in this creamy vegetable soup or coconut pudding or make a simple yet delicious coconut milk custard.

Substitute cashews with either almonds or melon seeds, or use a combination of both in case you don't have cashews on hand.

Tips and Tricks

Browning onion is an essential step as it imparts a rich and intense flavour to the dish. Ensure to cook the onions over medium-low heat for a long time so that they cook well and eventually turn brown. Cooking on high heat would result in charring onion and spices. 

Keep stirring while cooking to prevent vegetables and spices from sticking to the base of the pan. If they stick to the pan, just add a splash of water, stir and continue cooking.

While frying, ensure to have enough spacing between paneer cubes to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Soak fried paneer in salted water for 10 mins or until ready to add in curry to prevent them from getting hard and rubbery. 

Storage

You could make a big batch of korma paste and freeze it to use some other day when you are short of time or too tired to cook a meal from scratch.

Divide the korma paste into required portions and place them in a freezer. Take a portion out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw the night before you plan to make a curry. 

Having a pre-made curry paste is a lifesaver on busy weekdays rather than storing the curry. Because with pre-made curry paste you would take less than 20 minutes to get the fresh curry on the dinner table.

Serving Suggestions 

Paneer Korma is a classic accompaniment with naan bread. 

It pairs well with mildly flavoured rice dishes such as saffron rice, peas pulao and jeera rice. This combination is perfect for kids and for those who prefer mildly spiced food.

More Curry Recipes

Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas

Babycorn Masala

Capsicum Masala

Vegetable Chettinad

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