Paneer Pasanda is a luxurious dish packed with rich flavours widely served across the Indian subcontinent, but loved by many. Stuffed paneer triangles are shallow fried, dipped in a super-creamy onion-tomato curry and you just cannot resist this flavorful delicacy. It is a vegetarian specialty, but it is also a great substitute for non-vegetarians and for sophisticated palates.

The hero ingredient Paneer is full of nutritional value too. It is a great source of protein, phosphorous, calcium, healthy fat and contains the essential amino acids. Even though it takes a considerable amount of time to make this scrumptious meal, the effort is totally worth it. 

Paneer Pasanda | A little bit of History

Paneer, also known as Indian Cottage Cheese, is believed to have derived from the Persian word ‘peynir’ meaning ‘cheese’, while Pasanda is believed to have derived from the Urdu word ‘pasande’.

Panner Butter Masala vs Paneer Pasanda

These two dishes are often confused with each other. But guess what? There are obvious differences. Even though both dishes feature paneer, the highlight of Paneer Butter Masala is the butter that is used, while the highlight of Paneer Pasanda is the paneer itself. Both dishes are delicious, but Paneer Pasanda is exquisitely rich, eye-catching and takes paneer to a completely different level!

Can’t wait to taste it? Here’s the perfect, Paneer Pasanda recipe for you to try at home. This recipe is an easy guide to make the dish from scratch, without any hassle. So, let’s get started.

Paneer Pasanda Recipe

  • Cuisine: Indian
  • Course: Main Course
  • Preparation Time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 30 minutes
  • Servings: 4

Ingredients for Paneer Triangles

  • 200g Paneer
  • ½ cup of cornflour
  • ¼ cup of water
  • Oil

Ingredients for the filling

  • 50g of grated Paneer
  • 50g Khoya
  • 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh coriander
  • ½ teaspoon of finely chopped green chillies
  • ½ teaspoon of grated ginger
  • Chopped cashew nuts (about 8)
  • Chopped raisins (about 8)
  • Salt

Ingredients for the gravy

  • 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • Bay leaves (about 2)
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons of garlic ginger paste
  • ¼ cup of tomato puree
  • ¼ cup of cashew nut paste
  • ½ cup of brown onion paste
  • 2 teaspoons of coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoons of Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon of crushed Kasuri Methi
  • ¼ cup of fresh cream
  • Salt for taste
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
  • 2 teaspoons of lime juice
  • Some coriander leaves

Method

Making Paneer Sandwiches 
  1. Start off by cutting paneer triangles. First, cut the paneer into squares, and then into triangles of equal size.
  2. To make the filling, mix the grated paneer, khoya, chopped green chillies, coriander, ginger, cashew nuts, raisins, and salt together in a bowl. If you like it spicier, add more chillies to the mixture.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix cornflour with water to make a paste and keep aside.
  4. Next, take a paneer triangle you cut earlier, scoop a bit of the filling, and spread it evenly on the triangle. Then place another paneer triangle on top of the triangle with the filling to make a sandwich.
  5. Repeat this process with all the paneer triangles.
  6. Heat some oil in a frying pan, ideally a non-stick pan, dip the paneer sandwiches carefully in the cornflour batter (you can also use a spoon to pour the batter over the sandwiches to coat them well) and shallow fry the paneer sandwiches until they turn golden brown on all sides. When shallow frying the triangles, do not overcrowd the pan and let the stuffing fall out to the frying pan.
  7. Once all the triangles are shallow fried until golden brown, take them out from the frying pan and place them on tissue paper to remove the excess oil.
Making the gravy 
  1. Heat oil in the frying pan you used to shallow fry the paneer sandwiches (you can also heat fresh oil, the decision is completely up to you).
  2. Add the bay leaves and cumin seeds to the hot oil pan, followed by the garlic-ginger paste, and sauté them for a few seconds.
  3. Then stir in the tomato puree, cashew nut paste, and let the mixture simmer for a minute on low to medium heat. To this mixture, you can then add the brown onion paste.
  4. Next, add the spices; red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt to taste and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes, adding water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
  5. Add fresh cream, kasuri methi, and honey, stir well and cook to combine the mixture.
  6. Dip the paneer sandwiches in the gravy and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Garnish the curry with some coriander leaves and there you have the perfect Paneer Pasanda! This delicacy perfectly complements with Naan, Chapati, Tandoori roti, Paratha or Jeera rice and it will surely be a heavenly feast.

Smoky Paneer Pasanda

Here’s a bit of a twist, add a smoky flavour to Paneer Pasanda and you will love the variation. Smoking is done using the dhungar method, where charcoal briquettes are used. The piping hot charcoal briquettes let the dish infuse the smoky flavours.

Helpful Tips when making Paneer Pasanda

You should really celebrate the hero ingredient paneer in your dish. To do so, it is very important to select the best paneer. You can either make paneer at home or buy from the store, and if you are using homemade paneer for the dish, make sure that the paneer won’t crumble. While cooking the paneer sandwiches, you can choose to shallow fry or deep fry depending on your choice. Either way, you will end up with a super delicious dish.

When the flavourful paneer sandwiches, the creamy texture of the gravy, just melts in your mouth, it is hard to say no to Paneer Pasanda. The hearty meal will surely satisfy your taste buds and that is exactly why you should make an attempt to create this flavorful dish at home. Surprise your guests with Paneer Pasanda and you will be rewarded for sure!

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