Paneer Korma

5 from 6 votes

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.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Curries

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 525kcal

Author: Geetha

Ingredients

1 cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

To make korma paste

20 gms (or) 2 Tablespoons Cashews
2 Tablespoons Oil
2 Cloves
1 Cardamom
½ inch Cassia / Dalchini
1 inch Ginger peeled, washed and roughly chopped
2 cloves Garlic peeled
1 Green Chilli cut into half
123 gms (or) 1 large (or) 1 cup Onion thinly sliced
89 gms (or) 1 large (or) ¾ cup Tomato chopped
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric
½ Teaspoon Chilli Powder
½ Teaspoon Coriander Powder
½ Teaspoon Cumin Powder
½ Teaspoon Garam Masala

To make paneer korma

Oil as required to shallow fry
250 gms Paneer
16 gms (or) Butter
400 ml (or) 1½ cup Coconut Milk
Salt as required

Instructions

To make korma paste

Soak cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes.
20 gms (or) 2 Tablespoons Cashews
Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a deep-bottomed pan.
2 Tablespoons Oil
Once the oil is hot, add cardamom, cloves and cassia and fry for a minute or until fragrant.
2 Cloves, 1 Cardamom, ½ inch Cassia / Dalchini
Add ginger, garlic, green chilli and saute for a minute.
1 inch Ginger, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 Green Chilli
Now reduce the heat, add the onion and cook for 10 minutes or until they turn brown.
123 gms (or) 1 large (or) 1 cup Onion
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.
89 gms (or) 1 large (or) ¾ cup Tomato
Now mix in turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and cumin powder, cook for 5 minutes or until the raw aroma of spices vanishes.
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric, ½ Teaspoon Chilli Powder, ½ Teaspoon Coriander Powder, ½ Teaspoon Cumin Powder, ½ Teaspoon Garam Masala
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.
Oil
Once the oil is hot, fry the paneer cubes for 3-4 minutes or until they turn light brown.
250 gms Paneer
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.
16 gms (or) Butter
Add the korma paste, coconut milk and salt, close the pan with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.
400 ml (or) 1½ cup Coconut Milk, Salt
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.

Video

Notes

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.

Nutrition