Paneer Lababdar Dhaba Style | Restaurant Style Paneer Lababdar
Paneer Lababdar Dhaba Style is a popular North Indian paneer dish. This lusciously rich and creamy dish is made with soft paneer (cottage cheese) cooked in creamy onion-tomato-cashew nut gravy.
Servings: 6 people
Equipment
- large thick bottomed pan
- mixer grinder
Ingredients
- 200-225 grams Paneer cubed
- 50 grams Paneer (grated)
- 2-3 Bay leaves
- 2 tsp Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1/2 tsp Garam masala
- 1-2 tsp Sugar/Sweetener
- Salt (as per taste)
- 2 tbsp Ghee/Oil
To Ground into paste:
- 1 medium Onion roughly chopped
- 3 Large Tomatoes roughly chopped
- 18-20 Cashew nuts
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
- 2-3 Dried Red chillies broken
- 1 inch Cinnamon roughly pounded
- 3 Green Cardamoms roughly pounded
- 1 Black cardamom roughly pounded
- 3-4 Cloves roughly pounded
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg/Jaiphal grated
- 1/4 tsp Mace/Javitri broken into pieces
- 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp Ghee
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp of ghee/oil in a large frying pan or skillet on medium high heat. When hot temper it with dried red chillies, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, mace and sauté until you get a beautiful aroma of the spiced.
- Then toss in the chopped onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears.
- Next toss in the tomatoes and cashews along with 1/2 tsp of salt and saute for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
- Add in the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and nutmeg powder and saute for 2-3 minutes and take it off the heat. Let it cool.
- Add the masala along with 2 tbsp of water in a mixer grinder and ground it into a fine and smooth paste.
- In the same pan add the rest of the ghee/oil heat it on medium heat. When hot temper it with bay leaves saute for 10 seconds. Then slowly pour in the prepared masala paste and cook in medium heat stirring continuously for 7-8 minutes, until you see little oil seeping through and the masala pulls from the sides.
- Now add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil, stirring intermittently.
- Add salt and sugar/sweetener and continue cooking on medium heat for a minute.
- Now slide in the paneer cubes and the grated paneer and mix everything well. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on low heat, stirring intermittently.
- Finally add in kasoori methi and garam masala and mix well. Cook for another two minutes and take it off the heat.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with naan or paratha or jeera rice.
