Paneer korma (paneer malai korma) recipe
A creamy, tomatoey curry that lets the Indian cheese, paneer, shine. It needs very few ingredients and is quick to make, so this is the perfect dish for when you have guests. Paneer is now available in most supermarkets in the specialist Indian section; you can buy it either ready-cut in cubes or in a block. However, you can also make your own with the extra recipe below (note: the cooking and prep times do not include making paneer from scratch).
Serve this dish with rice or bread. If the latter, add a touch more hot water to the sauce so there is plenty to dunk the bread into.
TIP: The quality of milk used to make paneer is paramount. Use the creamiest milk you can find. Rich Jersey cow’s milk or buffalo milk are both great for making paneer, but if you cannot source either of those then use homogenised whole milk. Do not attempt to use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk – it is a waste of time and effort.
This recipe is from Asma’s Indian Kitchen: Home-cooked food brought to you by Darjeeling Express by Asma Khan, published by Pavilion Foods. Photography by Kim Lightbody.
Ingredients
- 1 kg paneer, home-made or ready-made, broken or cut into 5-cm x 2.5-cm/2-inch x 1-inch pieces
- 2 x 400ml/14fl oz tins full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil (not olive oil)
- 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger paste
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
- 4 tbsp tomato purée (tomato paste)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2.2 lbs paneer, home-made or ready-made, broken or cut into 5-cm x 2.5-cm/2-inch x 1-inch pieces
- 2 x 400ml/14fl oz tins full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil (not olive oil)
- 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger paste
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
- 4 tbsp tomato purée (tomato paste)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2.2 lbs paneer, home-made or ready-made, broken or cut into 5-cm x 2.5-cm/2-inch x 1-inch pieces
- 2 x 400ml/14fl oz tins full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil (not olive oil)
- 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger paste
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
- 4 tbsp tomato purée (tomato paste)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 handful flaked almonds (optional)
- 1 handful sprigs of coriander (cilantro) leaves (optional)
- 1 handful flaked almonds (optional)
- 1 handful sprigs of coriander (cilantro) leaves (optional)
- 1 handful flaked almonds (optional)
- 1 handful sprigs of coriander (cilantro) leaves (optional)
- 4 l whole milk
- 120 ml fresh lemon juice, strained
- 250 ml hot water (optional)
- 7 pints whole milk
- 4.2 fl oz fresh lemon juice, strained
- 8.8 fl oz hot water (optional)
- 16.9 cups whole milk
- 0.5 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
- 1.1 cups hot water (optional)
Details
- Cuisine: Indian
- Recipe Type: Korma
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
To make the paneer (skip this step if you're using shop-bought cheese)
- Using the right pan to boil the milk is important. One with a thick, heavy base is ideal as the milk must be boiled for a while and should not stick.
- Pour the milk into a large heavy-based pan and place over a high heat until the milk comes to a rolling boil. Once the milk is boiling, reduce the heat and allow the bubbles to subside.
- Stirring gently in a clockwise circular motion, pour the lemon juice into the milk. After stirring for a few moments, take the pan off the heat. Continue to stir in the same direction.
- Within 1 minute the milk will separate and clumps of curd will form. If nothing happens, do not panic. Put the pan back over a low heat and stir. If nothing happens after another minute, add a further 2 tbsp lemon juice and continue to stir. By now, curds should have formed.
- Once the curds have formed, leave the pan undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- For very soft cheese, gently pour in the hot water from the side. Do not pour the water on top of the curds. As they form, the curds sink to the bottom of the pan. Once the curds have sunk, leaving only the whey at the top of the pan, the curds are ready to drain.
- Line a colander with muslin, cheesecloth or Indian malmal (cotton) and place it over a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, scoop all the delicate curds out of the pan and place in the cloth-lined colander to drain. Discard the whey.
- Lift the corners of the cloth and tie into a parcel around the curds. Place a heavy pan or other weight on top of the parcel to press any more whey from the curds. After 45 minutes, prod the cheese to check the texture, which should be soft and similar in feel to feta.
- Once ready, unwrap the paneer from the cloth and, using paper towels, dab any moisture from the surface of the cheese. The paneer is ready to use straight away or store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To make the paneer malai korma
- In a heavy-based pan that has a lid, heat the oil over a medium–high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to colour. Continue stirring to prevent the onions from burning and sticking to the base of the pan.
- Once the onions have started to brown, add the garlic and ginger pastes.
- After 1 minute, add the ground coriander and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, until the 'raw' smell of the pastes and spices has disappeared – usually under 1 minute. If the mixture sticks to the base of the pan, add a splash of water.
- Add 125 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup warm water, followed by the tomato purée, salt and sugar. Increase the heat, bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat.
- Cover with the lid and leave to simmer until the liquid has reduced and the oil has come to the surface.
- Add the paneer to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes. Then add the coconut milk along with the ground almonds and cook uncovered for a further 2–3 minutes.
- If you make this dish in advance, reheat over a low heat but do not stir too much as the paneer may break up.
- Before serving, garnish with flaked almonds and coriander leaves, if preferred.
This recipe is from Asma’s Indian Kitchen: Home-cooked food brought to you by Darjeeling Express by Asma Khan, published by Pavilion Foods. Photography by Kim Lightbody.
You might also like:
Everything you wanted to know about paneer
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature