Paneer Angara Recipe (Restaurant Style)

Paneer Angara is a restaurant-style curry made with gentle paneer cubes cooked in a creamy onion-tomato-cashew gravy. The flavors are delicate and balanced with a contact of heat from aromatic spices. The curry is completed with a charcoal smoke infusion that offers it a novel depth and restaurant-like taste. Cashews make the gravy easy, whereas cream provides richness and physique.

What Makes Paneer Angara Special

Paneer Angara is a wealthy, creamy North Indian curry made with gentle paneer cubes simmered in a easy onion-tomato-cashew masala base and infused with smoky charcoal taste.

The phrase angara means embers or smoke, referring to the standard technique of flavoring the curry with smoke from a scorching charcoal.

This restaurant-style Paneer Angara curry has an ideal steadiness of sweetness from onions, tang from tomatoes, richness from cashews and cream, and mild warmth from purple chili powder and complete spices.

The spotlight of this dish is the dhungar or smoking step, the place a small piece of red-hot charcoal is positioned within the curry and lined to entice the smoke. As the curry absorbs it, you get that unmistakable restaurant-style smoky aroma and style.

Always use pure wooden charcoal for this course of and by no means use instant-light or artificial barbecue charcoal, as they comprise chemical substances that may have an effect on each the flavour and security of the meals.

I additionally use the dhungar method in different recipes like Dal Makhani, Dal Tadka, Baingan Bharta, and Palak Paneer, the place the mild infusion of charcoal smoke offers a deep, earthy taste.

Adapted from my favourite Paneer Handi, this model has a barely totally different base masala and cooking technique, however its distinctive taste comes solely from the ultimate smoke infusion.

Cashews make the gravy easy and creamy, whereas cream provides richness with out making it heavy. You can prepare dinner Paneer Angara with butter or ghee for a extra indulgent taste, or use oil for a lighter model.

If you want a little bit of crunch or shade, add flippantly sautéed bell peppers (capsicum) earlier than the smoking step. They pair fantastically with the gentle Paneer.

In many Indian eating places, “angara” dishes are recognized for his or her smoky taste and creamy gravies that coat gentle paneer or greens fantastically.

This Paneer Angara recipe seems creamy, mildly spiced, and completely smoky, identical to those served in eating places.

More Restaurant-Style Paneer Dishes To Try

Step-by-Step Guide to Make Paneer Angara

Making Paneer Angara at house is simple when you put together the bottom masala nicely. Follow these detailed step-by-step pictures and directions to get that restaurant-style taste with a smoky end.

Make The Masala Paste

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a pan. Add 2 inexperienced cardamoms, 1-inch cinnamon stick, and 2 cloves. Sauté for a number of seconds till aromatic.

2. Add 1 cup chopped onions.

3. Sauté onions on medium-low to medium warmth, till they flip translucent and are softened.

4. Add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic. Sauté for a minute.

5. Add 3 tablespoons chopped cashews.

If you favor, soak cashews in scorching water for 20 minutes, then drain water and put aside earlier than including to the pan.

6. Next add 1 cup chopped tomatoes

7. Sauté for five to six minutes or till the tomatoes soften. Stir typically whereas sautéing.

Once the tomatoes have turned gentle, swap off the warmth. Place the pan on countertop and let the sautéed combination cool barely.

8. Once heat or cooled, switch to a blender.

9. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water, or as wanted, and mix to a easy, thick and tremendous paste. Set this masala paste apart.

Cook The Gravy

10. In the identical or a clear pan, warmth flippantly 2 tablespoons oil or ghee. Add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and add the ready masala paste.

11. Sauté for six to 7 minutes on low to medium-low warmth until the combination thickens and appears a bit shiny. Stir typically to keep away from sticking.

Note: You might not see oil releasing from the perimeters because of the thickness of the paste. This is due to the cashews.

Tip: Stir the combination regularly, as it may well simply persist with the underside of the pan. Burnt masala will destroy the flavour.

12. Next add the next floor spices:

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri purple chili powder or deghi mirch (I used deghi mirch.)
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala or Sabji Masala (I added Sabji Masala)
• salt based on style

13. Mix nicely and sauté for a minute.

14. Pour in 1¼ cups water. You can range the quantity of water to get your most well-liked gravy consistency.

15. Whisk gently to make a easy gravy guaranteeing there are not any lumps.

16. Add 1 slit inexperienced chilli.

17. Simmer for six to 7 minutes on low to medium-low warmth, until the flavors mix and the gravy thickens barely.

Add Paneer

18. Add 2 tablespoons whipping cream (or heavy cream), 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi, and 1 teaspoon sugar (optionally available). Mix nicely.

Tip: Add sugar provided that wanted. Taste the gravy first. If it’s overly tangy or sharp, including about ½ to 1 teaspoon of sugar will assist steadiness the flavors. Skip sugar if the gravy is already well-rounded or add a number of pinches.

19. Add 200 to 250 grams paneer cubes and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.

20. Mix gently so paneer stays gentle. Turn off warmth and canopy the pan.

Make Paneer Angara With Dhungar (Smoke Infusion)

21. Place a small metal bowl or thick onion slice within the middle of the curry within the pan.

Hold a small piece of pure wooden charcoal with steel tongs tightly and place it on a flame-proof steel rack stored over the gasoline flame. Heat it till it turns red-hot and begins glowing, turning it a number of occasions with the tongs so it heats evenly from all sides.

Note 1: Be cautious whereas heating, as charcoal can generally splutter when it will get extremely popular. Always use tongs when dealing with scorching charcoal and by no means contact it immediately along with your palms.

Note 2: Use solely untreated, food-safe charcoal made out of hardwood or coconut shells. Avoid instant-light, artificial, compressed, or barbecue briquette varieties, as they comprise components and chemical substances that may have an effect on each taste and security.

22. Using tongs, fastidiously place the new charcoal within the metal bowl. Pour ½ teaspoon oil or ghee over it. Once the oil is poured, the new charcoal will begin smoking.

23. Immediately cowl the pan with a decent lid. Let it smoke for 4 to five minutes so the curry absorbs the aroma.

24. Remove the bowl and discard the charcoal.

25. Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and drizzle a bit of cream on prime whereas serving.

Serving Suggestions

Paneer Angara tastes finest when served scorching because the smoky taste is most fragrant proper after cooking. Serve it with Naan, Tandoori Roti, Kulcha, Roti or Jeera Rice for an entire North Indian meal.

You can even pair it with plain steamed basmati rice or delicate Peas Pulao or Veg Pulao. Add a easy Kachumber Salad or Onion Raita on the facet to steadiness the wealthy curry. For a festive thali, serve it alongside dal fry, Boondi Raita, and mango or lemon pickle.

Always serve Paneer Angara scorching or heat. Once it cools, the gravy thickens due to cashews and cream, so add a splash of heat water whereas reheating to convey again the best consistency.

Storage Suggestions

Paneer Angara curry stays good within the fridge for as much as 2 days. Store it in an hermetic container after it cools utterly.

Reheat on low warmth, including a splash of heat water or milk to loosen the gravy earlier than serving. Avoid freezing, because the paneer texture modifications and the smoky aroma fades after thawing.

Dassana’s Cooking Tips

1. Paneer: Use gentle, recent paneer. If it’s agency, soak it in heat water for 10 minutes earlier than including to the curry. You might additionally use frozen paneer.
2. Blending Ingredients: Grind the onion-tomato-cashew combination to a tremendous paste for a easy, creamy gravy.
3. Consistency: Add much less or extra water to regulate consistency. Keep it barely thick for a restaurant-style really feel.
4. Including Bell Peppers: For a variation, sauté some cubed capsicum (bell peppers) in a bit of oil till flippantly charred and add them earlier than the dhungar step. It provides shade, crunch, and a gentle sweetness to the curry.
5. Adjusting Tanginess: Add sugar provided that the Paneer Angara gravy tastes tangy. Skip it if it’s already balanced.
6. Fats: Ghee or butter provides a richer taste. You can use both rather than oil for each cooking and dhungar.
7. Charcoal Dhungar: Do not over-smoke. A lightweight aroma is ideal; an excessive amount of smoke could make the Paneer Angara gravy style bitter.
8. Frying Paneer: For further taste, flippantly fry the paneer cubes in a little bit of oil or ghee till golden on the edges earlier than including them to the gravy. This offers a richer style and prevents them from breaking.
9. Making Spicy Gravy: If you favor a barely spicier model, use a mixture of Kashmiri purple chili powder and common purple chili powder as a substitute of solely Kashmiri.

Your Questions Answered