Achari Paneer

Achari recipes are becoming very popular these days. Almost every Indian restaurant will have some achari dishes in the menu. Honestly it is a great way to bring twist to plain old simple recipes. Achari taste is robust of flavours. Easy but would give an impression that you have taken lot of efforts.

Achari or pickled spices are the mix of mustard seeds (rai), fenugreek seeds (methi), nigella  seeds (kalonji) and fennel seeds (saunf). These spices are not hot or spicy infact they are bitter in taste and have very strong aroma. You need to dry roast these spices and then use it, this then helps to give curry a very unique and piquant taste. I like to grind the roasted spices into fine powder, but you can use whole or coarse powder as well. 

Today I have made Achari Paneer, it is a dry (suki) vegetarian side dish with indian breads such as puri, paratha or chapati and goes well with rice and daal as well. Don’t let ingredients list intermediate you, this curry is indeed easy and worth all the steps.

More Achari Recipes:-

Achari Gobi 

Achari Bhindi

Achari Baingan

Achari Mirchi

How to make Achari Paneer

Ingredients:

(For Achari Massala)

1 whole red chilli

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds/rai

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi dana

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

1/2 teaspoon nigela seeds/kalonji

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

(For Gravy)

1 ½ cups paneer

1 onion medium size chopped finely

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

3 tablespoons yogurt/dahi

2 tomatoes

1 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust as per taste)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

2 tablespoons oil + 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves to garnish
Kasturi Methi to garnish (optional)

Method:

Take all the ingredients listed in Achari spices and dry roast in the pan on very slow flame/heat. Let it cool down and grind into fine-corase powder.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add the paneer and fry it. Make sure that paneer turns golden on all sides. Set the paneer aside.

Heat the remaining oil. Add ginger garlic paste. Sauté for one minute.

Add chopped onions. Saute for one minute or till onions are cooked properly.

Add chopped tomatoes. Throw in salt, turmeric, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Cover and cook till massala is cooked and tomatoes turned soft.

Take yogurt in a separate bowl. Mix in Achari massala. Whisk properly.

Slowly mix the yogurt mix into tomatoes gravy. Stir continuously for 1 minute.

Throw in paneer. Mix. Cover and cook till massla is well coated on paneer.

Garnish with kasthuri methi and coriander leaves.