Shahi Paneer is the king of paneer curries — and it's the one most home cooks have never attempted because it sounds intimidating. "Shahi" means royal in Hindi/Urdu, and the dish traces directly to the Mughal courts of 16th-century India, where emperors ate paneer braised in sauces enriched with ground cashews, almonds, saffron, cream, and aromatic spices like cardamom and mace. It is, quite literally, a curry designed for royalty. And yet the recipe is surprisingly simple — simpler than Malai Kofta (no dumplings to shape and fry), simpler than Palak Paneer (no blanching and ice-bathing), and simpler than Paneer Tikka (no grilling). It's a one-pan dish that takes 30 minutes and produces the most refined, elegant paneer curry in the entire Indian repertoire.
The distinction between Shahi Paneer and other paneer curries is the gravy. Palak Paneer uses spinach. Paneer Tikka is grilled with no gravy. Paneer Bhurji is scrambled and dry. Malai Kofta uses a similar cashew-cream gravy but with fried dumplings. Shahi Paneer is the purest expression of the Mughlai cashew-cream-tomato gravy — silky smooth, pale orange, delicately spiced with whole cardamom and a whisper of saffron — with simple paneer cubes as the vehicle. At Pick N Save, we stock every ingredient for the Mughlai approach: nine paneer options, cashews and almonds in multiple sizes, saffron (TFS Premium Spanish Grade 1), cream (Elmlee Double Creamy Taste), and the whole spices that define the royal aromatic profile. We've been supplying wedding caterers and celebration cooks in Harrow with these exact ingredients since 1999.
Cut 400g of paneer (Homeville Paneer Block 1kg) into 2.5cm cubes. Soak the paneer cubes in a bowl of warm salted water while you prepare the gravy — this softens the paneer slightly and seasons the interior, preventing the rubbery texture that cold, dry paneer develops in hot sauce. The warm water bath is a restaurant technique that makes a noticeable difference.
Soak 40g of cashew nuts (Fudco Cashew Nuts Jumbo 700g or Fudco Broken Cashew Nuts 700g) and 10g of blanched almonds (Uthra Almonds 700g) together in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and blend with 80ml of water into a completely smooth paste — no grit, no chunks. This nut paste is the foundation of the Mughlai gravy and is what gives Shahi Paneer its silky, velvety texture. Set aside.
Soak 5–6 saffron strands (TFS Premium Spanish Saffron Grade 1 — 1g) in 2 tablespoons of warm milk. Set aside — the milk will turn golden-orange within 5 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee (KTC Butter Ghee 500g) in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the whole spices: 1 bay leaf (TFS Bay Leaves 50g), 4 green cardamom pods lightly cracked (TFS Green Cardamom Jumbo 50g), 4 whole cloves, a 3cm cinnamon stick (TFS Cinnamon Sticks Dalchini 100g), and — if available — 1 blade of mace (javitri) or a tiny grating of nutmeg. The mace/nutmeg is the signature Mughlai aromatic that distinguishes Shahi Paneer from every other creamy curry — it adds a warm, sweet, slightly floral note that's unmistakable. Let the whole spices sizzle for 30 seconds.
Add 1 medium onion, finely diced (White Onions Prepack 4Kg), and cook for 4–5 minutes until soft and light golden — not deeply caramelised. Shahi Paneer onion should be gently softened, not dark. Add 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste (Fudco Ginger Garlic Paste 300g) and cook for 1 minute. Add 200g of KTC Chopped Tomatoes or Cirio Passata (Cirio Passata Sieved Tomatoes 500g — passata gives the smoothest gravy). Cook for 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes are completely broken down.
Add the ground spices: ½ teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli powder (TFS Kashmiri Mild Chilli Powder 100g — for gentle colour, not heat), ½ teaspoon of ground coriander (TFS Dhana Coriander Powder 100g), ¼ teaspoon of turmeric (TFS Haldi Powder Rajapuri 100g), and salt to taste. Stir for 1 minute.
Now add the cashew-almond paste. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes — the gravy will thicken noticeably and become silky. Add 100ml of double cream (Elmlee Double Creamy Taste 270ml) and stir until the sauce turns a uniform, luxurious, pale orange-cream colour. Add 100ml of warm water if the gravy is too thick — the consistency should be pourable and silky, coating the back of a spoon but flowing easily.
Blend for restaurant smoothness: For the silkiest result, turn off the heat and blend the gravy with a stick blender until completely smooth — no visible onion, no tomato chunks, nothing but pure silk. Return to low heat. This step is optional but strongly recommended — restaurant Shahi Paneer is always blended smooth.
Pour the saffron milk (the golden-orange infused milk from Step 1) into the gravy. Stir gently — the saffron adds golden streaks and an ethereal floral perfume. Add 1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves / kasuri methi (TFS Dried Fenugreek Leaves 100g) crushed between your palms, and ½ teaspoon of sugar to balance any tomato acidity. Add ½ teaspoon of garam masala (TFS Garam Masala 100g).
Drain the warm-water-soaked paneer cubes and gently add them to the gravy. Fold — don't stir vigorously — to coat every cube without breaking them. Simmer on the lowest heat for 3–4 minutes. The paneer absorbs the gravy flavour during this gentle simmering, becoming soft and flavourful throughout rather than just coated on the surface.
Turn off the heat. Add 1 tablespoon of cold butter (Anchor Butter Salted 500g) and let it melt into the gravy — this gives a final gloss and richness. Taste and adjust salt and cream.
Transfer to a wide, shallow serving bowl. The presentation matters for Shahi Paneer — it's a celebration dish. Drizzle a thin zigzag of cream across the top. Scatter a few slivers of pistachio (Fudco Pistachio Kernels 600g) and blanched almond flakes. Place 2–3 saffron strands on the surface. A single fresh coriander sprig in the centre.
Serve with Garlic Naan — the naan scoops the silky gravy and paneer in one luxurious bite. Plain basmati rice (Tilda Basmati Rice 5kg) also works beautifully as the gravy soaks into the grains. For the full Mughlai feast, pair with Chicken Biryani, Raita, and finish with Gulab Jamun.
Every single ingredient for this recipe is available at picknsave.co.uk with home delivery across London and the UK, or click and collect from our store in Harrow. Here's your shopping list:
*RI = Reference Intake. Values are approximate. Shahi Paneer is a celebration curry — its richness comes from nuts, cream, and ghee.
