Look. I am not a chef. I am just a person who spends time in the kitchen. And I know one thing for sure. Most cookbooks make paneer gravy look very hard. They tell you to soak nuts. They tell you to grind spices. Who has that kind of time on a Tuesday evening. So I stopped following those books long back. I started making my own kind of gravy. Simple. Fast. And no one in my house ever said this is not good.
In this article I will show you five easy paneer recipes with gravy. I make these at least twice in a week. The gravy is thick. The paneer is soft. And you do not need any fancy material from the market.
One small thing before we start. Do not cook the paneer for a long time. That is the biggest mistake. Paneer only needs two minutes inside hot gravy. More than that it becomes like rubber. Keep this in your mind.
The One Trick That Works Every Time
I learned this from my mother. Take the paneer out from the fridge. Cut it into cubes. Take one bowl of hot water. Not boiling hot but hot enough that you cannot keep your finger inside for long. Put the paneer cubes in that water. Leave it for ten minutes.
After ten minutes take one cube and press it. It will feel very soft. Now this paneer is ready for any gravy. If you skip this step the paneer will stay hard. So please do not skip.
Now let me give you the five recipes.
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First Recipe – Basic Home Gravy
This is the gravy that every north Indian house makes. Onion. Tomato. Simple masalas. Nothing else.
What you need
- Two onions chopped very small
- Two tomatoes chopped very small
- One spoon ginger garlic paste (spoon means the small spoon not the big one)
- Half small spoon red chili powder
- Half small spoon turmeric
- One small spoon coriander powder
- Half small spoon garam masala
- Salt
- Two big spoons oil
- Two hundred grams paneer
- Water
- Some fresh coriander leaves
How to make?
Put a kadhai on the gas. Add oil. Let the oil become medium hot.
Add the chopped onions. Cook them until they become light brown. This takes around five to seven minutes. Keep stirring in between. If you burn the onions the whole gravy will taste bad.
Add the ginger garlic paste. Stir for one minute.
Now add the chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes completely lose their shape. You will see oil separating from the mixture. That is your sign to move to the next step.
- Add red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder. Mix everything. Cook for one more minute.
- Add one small glass of water. Let this boil for five minutes. The gravy will start looking thick.
- Now add the paneer cubes. Add garam masala and salt. Mix carefully so the paneer does not break. Cook for only two minutes. Not more than that.
- Put fresh coriander leaves on top. Your basic gravy is done.
Second Recipe – Curd Gravy
This one is a little sour. But in a good way. Many people in my family like this because it is not heavy.
What you need?
- One cup curd (fresh curd is better)
- One onion
- One spoon ginger garlic paste
- Half small spoon red chili powder
- Half small spoon turmeric
- One spoon kitchen king masala
- Salt
- Two big spoons oil
- Two hundred grams paneer
- Water
How to make?
- Take the curd in a bowl. Beat it with a spoon until it becomes smooth. No lumps should be there.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion becomes dark brown. This takes more time than the first recipe. Around ten minutes. Do not rush.
- Add ginger garlic paste. Cook for one minute.
- Now lower the gas flame to very low. Add red chili powder and turmeric. Mix quickly.
- Now add the curd. But do not add all curd at once. Add little by little. Keep stirring all the time. If you add all curd on high flame the curd will break and the gravy will look bad.
- After all curd is in the pan, cook for five minutes on low flame. The gravy will become thick.
- Add water if you want thinner gravy. Add salt. Add kitchen king masala.
- Now add the soft paneer cubes. Cook for two minutes. Done.
Third Recipe – No Onion No Garlic
Some days I do not want to eat onion and garlic. Or some guests do not eat them. This recipe works very well for those days.
What you need?
- Two big tomatoes
- Half small cup pumpkin puree (you can boil and mash pumpkin)
- One spoon ginger paste (only ginger no garlic)
- Half small spoon red chili powder
- Half small spoon turmeric
- One small spoon dry mango powder
- Half small spoon garam masala
- Salt
- Two big spoons ghee
- Two hundred grams paneer
- Fresh coriander
How to make?
- Boil the tomatoes in water for ten minutes. Take out the skin. Make a smooth puree in a mixer.
- Heat ghee in a pan. Add the ginger paste. Cook for thirty seconds only.
- Add the tomato puree. Cook on low flame for eight to ten minutes. Keep stirring. You will see the puree leaving ghee from the sides.
- Add red chili powder, turmeric, dry mango powder. Mix well.
- Add the pumpkin puree. This gives a nice thick feel to the gravy. Also gives a red color. Cook for five more minutes.
- Add water slowly until you get the consistency you like. Let it boil for two minutes.
- Add salt and garam masala. Add paneer cubes. Cook for two minutes. Put fresh coriander on top.
Fourth Recipe – Coconut Gravy
This is very different from the other four. My friend from Kerala showed me this. It is sweet and soft. No tomatoes here.
What you need?
- One onion
- One spoon ginger garlic paste
- Half small spoon red chili powder
- Half small spoon turmeric
- One small spoon coriander powder
- One cup thick coconut milk (readymade packet is fine)
- Salt
- Two big spoons oil
- Two hundred grams paneer
- One small stick curry leaves
- Water
How to make?
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the curry leaves. They will crackle in five seconds.
- Add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion becomes soft.
- Add ginger garlic paste. Cook for one minute.
- Add red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder. Mix well. Cook for one minute.
- Add half cup water. Let the masala cook for five minutes.
Now lower the flame to very low. Add the thick coconut milk. This is the most important step. If you boil coconut milk on high flame it will split and the gravy will look like small white pieces floating. So keep flame low. Stir slowly.
- Add salt. Let the gravy become hot but not boiling hard.
- Add the paneer cubes. Mix gently. Turn off the flame after two minutes.
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Fifth Recipe – Dried Fenugreek Gravy
This one tastes like the paneer you eat in restaurants. The secret is dried fenugreek leaves. We call it kasuri methi in the market.
What you need?
- One onion
- Two tomatoes
- One spoon ginger garlic paste
- Half small spoon red chili powder
- One small spoon coriander powder
- Half small spoon garam masala
- Two big spoons fresh cream
- Two small spoons dried fenugreek leaves
- Salt
- Two big spoons butter
- Two hundred grams paneer
- Water
How to make?
First make a paste of onion and tomato. You can grind them together in a mixer with very little water. Heat butter in a pan. Add the onion tomato paste. Cook for ten minutes on low flame. Keep stirring so the paste does not stick at the bottom. The paste will become dark red after ten minutes. You will also see butter leaving from the sides. Add red chili powder and coriander powder. Mix and cook for two minutes. Add water. Let it boil for five minutes.
Add garam masala and salt. Now take the dried fenugreek leaves and crush them between your palms. Add this to the gravy. You will get a very good smell immediately. Add the paneer cubes. Cook for two minutes. Finally add fresh cream and mix. Turn off the flame.
Three Problems And What I Do
I have faced many problems while making paneer gravy. Here is what I learned.
Gravy is too watery
This happens to me also sometimes. I take one spoon corn flour. Mix with two spoons cold water. Put this mixture into the gravy. Cook for two minutes. The gravy becomes thick. Simple.
Gravy is too sour
Too much tomato or too much curd makes the gravy sour. I add one small spoon sugar. The sourness goes away. Some people add a pinch of cooking soda. That also works.
Paneer is hard
This means you cooked the paneer for too long. Paneer does not like long cooking. Next time add the paneer at the very end and turn off the gas after two minutes.
What To Eat With These Gravy Dishes?
I will tell you what works best in my house.
The basic home gravy goes with roti or rice. The curd gravy goes with jeera rice. The no onion no garlic gravy goes with plain paratha. The coconut gravy goes with appam or Malabar parotta. The dried fenugreek gravy goes with easy paneer recipes with gravy.
But honestly you can eat any gravy with anything. There is no rule.
FAQs
Can I use the paneer that comes in a packet from the store?
Yes you can. But leave it in warm water for fifteen minutes. Not ten minutes but fifteen minutes. Packet paneer is harder than fresh paneer. So it needs more time in warm water.
How many days can I keep leftover gravy?
Two days in the fridge. Keep it in a box with a closed lid. When you want to eat it again, heat it on low flame. Add two spoons of water if the gravy has become too thick.
Can I put vegetables in these gravies?
Yes. Capsicum works very well. Peas also work well. Add the vegetables when you add the paneer. Cook for two extra minutes.
One Last Thing
You do not need to be a perfect cook to make good paneer gravy. You just need to remember three things. Soft paneer. Low flame. Do not over cook. Try the first recipe today. It is the easiest one. After you make it two times your hand will remember the steps. Then try the other ones.
