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Creamy Paneer Lababdar Curry Featured Image.

Paneer Lababdar (Creamy Paneer Curry)

Tanvi Srivastava
Paneer Lababdar is a vegetarian rich and creamy restaurant style paneer curry in a buttery onion-tomato gravy.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4
Calories 312 kcal

Ingredients
  

For The Tomato paste

  • 10 oz tomatoes 300g
  • 15 whole raw cashewnut
  • 6 black pepper corns
  • 1 inch ginger fresh, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves fresh,roughly chopped
  • 3 green cardamom pods
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 cup water

Paneer

  • 9 oz paneer ~250g
  • 1 tablespoon butter for pan frying

For Lababdar Sauce

  • 4 tablespoon butter for the sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ inch cinnamon stick dalchini
  • ½ cup chopped onions
  • 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder or paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar or more depending on how sweet you want
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed between palms
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala good quality
  • pinch fresh grated nutmeg optional
  • ¼ cup heavy cream adjust to preference

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • In a pot or pan, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, add cloves, green cardamom pods, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and raw cashews.
  • Let boil for 8-10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Drain and reserve the liquid. Let cool a bit. Using a high speed blender, blend everything to a smooth paste.
    Tip :-Using the reserved liquid to thin out the sauce tastes way better than just plain water. 
  • Cut up 7 oz paneer in 2 inch chunks in any shape you like. Dont slice the paneer too thin. Dont cut into very small chunks.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small non stick pan or any pan you are comfortable with) and pan fry the paneer until golden on both sides.
    Note :- Pan frying the paneer is optional, however I highly recommend if you are making this dish for special occasions. 
  • Grate 2 oz paneer using a box grater to add to sauce. Dont grate too fine, we want nice long shreds to add texture to the sauce.
  • Finely chop the onions. I dont recommend grinding the onions because the lababdar sauce has texture. 

Make Paneer Lababdar

  • In a cooking pot, melt the butter on low heat. Once slightly melted and temper with bay leaf and cinnamon. Saute for few seconds and then add the chopped onions. Stir onions to cook them lightly for 5-6 minutes till translucent(but not too browned).
    Tip:- Be careful to not let the onions brown else they will add a strong onion flavor to your sauce plus change the color. The sauce should taste tomato(ey). 
  • Next add the powdered spices and stir with the onions for about 20 seconds or so on low heat taking care not to burn.
  • Pour in the tomato cashew paste, add salt and mix everything together. Let the sauce warm through and the set on low medium heat to cook. You will see small bubbles on sides and in the center of the pot. Cashew will make the sauce slightly sticky so make sure to stir often. 
  • After 5 -7 minutes or so, once the sauce gets to a deep orange color, add ⅓ to ½ cup (max) of the reserved liquid to make the sauce a little thin. Don't add too much water, such creamy sauces taste better when they are thickish. 
  • Let the sauce cook a little more for 2-3 minutes or so to achieve the desired consistency.
  • Check the salt and adjust if needed. Then add the sugar, crushed kasuri methi and garam masala. Mix everything. 
  • Add the pan fried paneer to the sauce next along with any butter in the pan. Also add the grated paneer and heavy cream. Let the curry simmer on low heat for 2-4 minutes more. Dont let boil.
  • Serve paneer lababdar with naan, roti or parathas. You may drizzle bit of extra heavy cream on top if you wish. Enjoy!

Notes

  • The nutrition facts are an estimation only. 
  • Use mildly sweet tomatoes. Sour tomatoes will make the sauce quite tangy.
    Don't shred the paneer too fine, we want coarsely grated or crumbled paneer for texture in the sauce.
  • You can use a combination of almonds and cashews. However do not completely skip cashews, they add a lovely creaminess to the sauce.
  • You may smoke the curry once finished for a true dhaba taste. I have explained the dhungar method here in this post.
  • If you do not have kasuri methi, simply skip it. Kasuri methi is a finishing herb used often in indian cooking.There is no substitute for it. After adding kasuri methi, don't cook for too long else the sauce will get bitter.
  • After adding kasuri methi, don't cook the sauce for too long else the sauce will get bitter. 
  • This is a rich and luxurious dish that I recommend enjoying once in a while

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 12gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 46mgPotassium: 328mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1087IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 368mgIron: 1mg
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