Try Your Hands On This Tangy Dhaba Style Achari Paneer Recipe

Achari paneer recipe is spicy hot and flavour paneer curry that goes well with any Indian bread and rice. Achaar is a term in Hindi that means pickle. Achari dishes are made with the same spices which are used to make the pickle especially the mango one. Popular dishes that are made in the achari masala are achari chicken, achari soya, achari gosht, which you can mostly find on a north Indian restaurant menu. 

Ingredients

Achari Masala: 

  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds 
  • 3 red dried chillies 
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds 
  • 1 tsp cumin  
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds 
  • ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji) 
  • 1 pinch of methi seeds 

Other Ingredients: 

  • 250-gram paneer  
  • 1 cup fresh whole curd  
  • 2 tbsp ginger- garlic paste  
  • 4-5 green chillies (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup tomatoes (chopped) 
  • 2 dry chillies  
  • 1 pinch of hing  
  • 10 to 12 cashew puree 
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder  
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder  
  • ¼ cumin powder  
  • 2 tbsp besan ½ tsp kasuri methi  
  • 4 tbsp cream  
  • Salt, as required 
  • Oil/ ghee  
  • Coriander leaves (chopped) 
  • Mint leaves (chopped) 

How To Make Paneer Achari: 

Prepare Achari Masala:  Take a pan and dry roast the ingredients such as fennel, cumin, mustard, coriander, nigella seeds, and dried red chillies on a low flame. Till they became fragrant. Don’t brown them.  

  1. Once cool, grind the spices in a grinder and make a coarse powder. Keep this aside in a bowl.  
  2. Now take a kadhai, heat with some oil or ghee in it. Add dry chillies and a pinch of hing. Saute it for some seconds till the chillies change their colour.  
  3. Then add ginger-garlic paste, stir well and saute till the raw aroma goes away.  
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well, followed by turmeric, red chilli, coriander, and cumin powder.  
  5. Stir well and saute the mixture till it became completely softens and starts releasing the oil from the sides of the pan.  
  6. Now add cashew paste and simmer it on a low flame for 2 minutes. Add besan and grounded achari masala, stir well, till it incorporates into the rest of the masalas.  
  7. Keep the flame low and add beaten curd, in this step quickly stir the curd.  
  8. Add salt and simmer it on a low flame for 4-5 minutes.  
  9. Add little water and paneer cubes. Cook the dish for more than 10-12 minutes. 
  10. Lastly, add cream and crush kasuri methi to the gravy. Gently stir. 
  11. Once it is done, switch off the flame and garnish it with chopped mint and coriander leaves.  

Your achari paneer masala is ready, serve this with butter naan, tandoori roti, rumaliroti, or plain paratha.   

Also Read