Dhaba Style Paneer Masala

Dhaba Style Paneer Masala is a rustic and delectable Indian Cottage Cheese curry in which marinated and pan-fried paneer cubes are cooked in a scrumptious onion-tomato based masala. Dhaba style Paneer Masalas is spicy and flavorful in taste and can be easily made at home. It serves as a soulful filling meal when served with chapati or naan. 

 

What is Dhaba Style: 

Dhaba is any road-side restaurant. Dhaba style recipes are heavy on calories as they use generous amounts of ghee and butter and are known for their spicy rustic flavors. The cooking process of dhaba style recipes involves lots of roasting. Minced onions, ginger garlic and tomatoes are very well roasted along with spice powders to get a thick gravy masala, often referred to as Bhuna masala. Dhaba style dishes are rustic and call for use of thickening agents like gram flour. Addition of kasuri methi also enhances the flavors of these curries.

Video Recipe for Dhaba style Paneer Masala

                 

Dietary Notes: This Dhaba Style Paneer Masala is

• Delicious Cottage Cheese Curry
• Gluten-free side dish to Indian flat breads
• Vegetarian
• Flavorful
• Kid Friendly
• North Indian Dish

Dhaba Style Paneer Masala is a flavorful North Indian Cottage Cheese curry. You can serve it with Indian flat breads like chapati, naan, Kulcha , Lachha paratha. 

Related Event: #298 North Indian Curries @Foodie Monday Blog Hop

North Indian Curries was the theme for the 298th week on the Foodie Monday Blog Hop, a Facebook gourmet group, where a bunch of passionate food bloggers share their culinary delights every Monday depending upon a predetermined theme. Swaty was our hostess for the week and she proposed that we share any North Indian Curry that could pair well with flat breads like roti, chapati or naan. This Dhaba Style Paneer Masala is my humble contribution towards the theme. meanwhile, do check out Swaty's space for some wonderful recipes from around the globe. Her, Kathal Ki Subzi, Vegan Jackfruit Curry, and Papad Boondi Ki Subzi from the rajasthani Cuisine are next on my to do list. 

                                            

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 5

Ingredients: For Marinade and Pan Fry

• 250 grams Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 
• 1 teaspoon oil
• Salt to taste
  

Ingredients for the Curry

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1-2 Bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2-3 green cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon broken
• 2-3 cloves
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon gram flour/ Besan
• 1 tablespoon Coriander Cumin powder
• 2 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1. Cut Paneer / Cottage Cheese to large cubes.
2. Add oil, turmeric power, red chili powder, garam masala, salt along with 1 tablespoon water.
3. Mix well to coat on all the sides and allow it to marinate for around 30 minutes.
4. After marination time, heat butter on a skillet and place the marinated paneer cubes over it. Shallow fry the paneer cubes for a couple of minutes or so from both sides. Put off the flame and set it aside. Do not over fry the paneer as it would make the panner go ruberry.

 4. To a sauce pan add butter and oil  and heat it on a low flame. Add the whole spices, bay leaves, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, and crushed green cardamom. Allow the spices to sizzle for few seconds.

5. Next, tip in finely chopped onion along with a pinch of salt and saute it until it turns light golden and translucent. It will take around 5 minutes on medium flame for onions to turn golden brown. 

6. Once the onions turn golden brown, add slit green chilies and minced garlic and ginger and stir fry for a couple of minutes to get rid of the raw smell.

7. Next, add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, chickpea flour and kasuri methi leaves. Fry the spice powders with the onion mixture until it turns thick and light brown in color.

8.Add the tomato puree at this stage. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium to low flame and then cover cook for around 10 minutes.

9. Next, add salt, sugar, garam masala and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Our Onion Tomato base is ready 

10. Add the pan fried panner cubes to the gravy along with the oil in which it is fried. Give a good stir and cover cook the gravy for another 5 minutes or until the oil separates on top.

11. Lastly, garnish the gravy with finely chopped fresh coriander and serve with chapati or naan.

Recipe Notes:

• Dhaba Style Recipes are known for their heavy use of butter , ghee ,oil and spices. You may adjust them as per your liking and preferences.
• You can either make the tomato puree by blanching the tomatoes , removing their skin and then grinding it to get a puree or simply pulse the tomatoes in a grinder jat to get the puree. In case you are using raw tomato puree, saute it for a little longer.
• I have chopped  the Paneer into lager cubes , the way they are served at the  Dhaba. You may make bite size pieces if you wish.
• Do not over fry the paneer cubes as it may lead the paneer to become chewy and rubbery. We just want to warm the panner cubes in the spices to enhance the flavor.
• You may add little hung curd to make the gravy creamy.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this Dhaba Style Paneer Masala. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 

For more North Indian Curry recipes, do check out the following from this blog:

• Bhindi Do Pyaza
  

                              

• Kadai Mushroom

• Gobhi Musallam

• Makai Palak

• Satvik Paneer Butter Masala

• Achari Aloo

• Pindi Chole

• Paneer Bhurji

• Methi Matar Malai