Bhojan Daily

Achari Paneer – which essentially translates to “pickled cottage cheese” – is a delicious Northern Indian dish where soft pieces of paneer are served in a creamy, masala gravy accentuated with pickle spices and tangy curd. Here I show you how to make this yummy Punjabi recipe using step-by-step photos.

Why This Achari Paneer Recipe Works

During my many years as a cook, I’ve tried many achari paneer recipes that were quite disappointing. This recipe is the culmination of many years of experimentation, and the results were too good that I have to share!

The robust flavor of the pickling spices is pronounced without being overwhelming, and the sourness of the fresh curd complements the spices perfectly. If you are fond of pickles, you will love achari paneer!

By the way, if you are new to Indian cuisine, the word ‘achar’ refers to pickles and ‘paneer’ is of course the fresh un-melting cottage cheese, popular across pan India.

I also like that this recipe is made without any onions or garlic. If you have an aversion to alliums, don’t worry! This tangy paneer gravy recipe was made for you. That said, if you’re a fan of onions and garlic, you can absolutely add them.

The Paneer Achari gravy has pickle like flavors and taste which comes from using pickle spices like mustard, fennel, cumin, fenugreek and nigella. Moreover the recipe is made with mustard oil that gives it a pungent flavor and aroma.

Together with yogurt, I also add powdered cashews. This helps to balance the tangy taste of the yogurt, tomatoes and additionally helps in thickening the gravy.

In my opinion, Achari Paneer gravy is best served with tandoori roti, paratha or Naan, but you can absolutely opt to serve it with rice, steamed veggies or a side salad if you have a gluten intolerance.

My friends, this is a really good paneer achari recipe. The taste is similar to that of dry and grilled Achari Paneer Tikka, but you get soft pieces of paneer in a smooth, luxurious creamy gravy.

If you are looking for a new way to prepare your paneer, stop your scrolling and get to cooking!

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Achari Paneer

Roast Pickle Spices

1. First take the achari or pickling spices in a pan. The five pickling spices in clockwise order are:

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• ½ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2. Heat the pan on a low flame and roast the spices till they are *just* fragrant. Don’t brown them or burn them.

3. Once cooled, add the spices to a small spice grinder. (You can also use a mortar and pestle if you don’t have a spice grinder.)

4. Grind to a semi-fine powder.

5. Remove the achari masala powder and set aside for later.

6. In the same grinder, add 10 to 12 cashews.

7. Grind to a fine powder. Don’t worry if some fat is removed during the grinding process; that is natural.

8. In a bowl, take 1 cup fresh whole milk curd/yogurt and whisk it till smooth. Use fresh curd and not sour curd.

Make Achari Masala

9. Heat 2 tablespoons of mustard oil or sunflower oil or ghee in a pan.

If using mustard oil, then allow it to smoke before you add the spices. For any other oil or ghee, just heat it until shimmering in the pan. Then lower the heat and add 2 dry red chilies and a generous pinch of asafoetida.

Tip: If you are gluten intolerant, be sure that your asafoetida is gluten-free! Many commercially available brands are processed with wheat.

10. Saute for a few seconds till the red chilies change color.

11. Then add 1.5 teaspoons ginger-green chili paste (about 1 inch ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle).

12. Stir and sauté till the raw aroma of ginger goes away.

13. Then add ⅓ cup tightly packed chopped tomatoes.

14. Stir to mix and add the following spices:

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
• ¼ teaspoon cumin powder (optional)

15. Again stir very well and sauté the tomatoes till they soften completely and become pulpy. You should also see oil releasing from the sides.

16. Now add the cashew powder.

Note: If using store brought cashew powder, then add 2 tablespoons of cashew powder. Check the shelf life of the store brought cashew powder before adding, as it can go rancid during storage.

17. On a medium-low heat, stir and sauté the mixture for 2 minutes after adding cashew powder.

18. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the ground achari masala spice mix and add the rest.

19. Stir very well. At this stage, you can also add 1 to 2 teaspoons of a North Indian or Punjabi Mango Pickle masala, if you have it.

20. Add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons besan (also known as gram flour). You can swap gram flour with chickpea flour. We are adding besan so that the curd does not separate.

21. Stir the besan very well and incorporate it into the rest of the masala.

Make Achari Paneer Gravy

22. Keep the heat to a low and add the beaten curd.

23. As soon as you add the curd, begin to stir the mixture quickly.

24. Continuing to stir quickly, incorporate the curd well into the rest of the masala.

25. Add salt to taste.

26. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes on a low heat.

27. Add the paneer cubes. I recommend using 200 or 250 grams paneer chopped in cubes.

28. Cook the paneer cubes for about 20 to 30 seconds. Don’t cook for more time as then the paneer cubes can get chewy and rubbery. Turn off the heat.

29. Then add 3 tablespoons light cream or low-fat fresh cream. You can also use 1 to 2 tablespoon of whipping cream or heavy cream.

Also add ½ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) to the gravy.

30. Gently mix very well.

31. Add 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves and 1 teaspoon chopped mint leaves. Stir to mix.

32. While serving, sprinkle the reserved achari masala from the top and garnish with a coriander or mint sprig. Serve achari paneer with tandoori roti, chapati or naan or Plain Paratha or Laccha Paratha or Rumali Roti.

Expert Tips

• Curd: Make sure to use fresh curd or yogurt. The curd should not be sour as then the gravy will become very sour.
• Achari masala: For the achari masala, use spices that are fresh, in their shelf-life and have not gone rancid.
• Cashew powder: You can even use store-bought cashew powder in this recipe. If doing so, add 2 tablespoons of it and make sure it is fresh, and not rancid.
• Choice of fat: You can use mustard oil, sunflower oil or even ghee (clarified butter) to cook this dish. If using mustard oil, ensure to heat it first till it smokes and then proceed with the recipe.
• Cream: For the cream, you can use either 3 tablespoons of low-fat or light cream, or 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy or whipping cream.
• Gluten free version: You can make this dish gluten free by using a gluten free asafoetida (hing). However, I would not suggest to skip adding the asafoetida as it is quite a must in all achari recipes.
• Vegan version: While this dish is best made with paneer and dairy-based products, you can still turn into a vegan one by using firm tofu in place of paneer. Also, use a dairy free yogurt or skip the cream or use coconut cream instead.
• Make ahead: I would suggest making this dish when you plan to serve it hot and fresh. Don’t make this dish ahead, as on refrigeration, the flavors will change and while reheating the paneer cubes will become dense.
• Scaling: This recipe can’t be scaled easily. Try to follow the recipe as it is without making any changes in the ingredient proportions. Since this is a complexly flavored gravy, any changes may result in an off-balance in the taste.

FAQs

More Paneer Recipes To Try!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

Achari Paneer recipe from the blog archives was first published on April 2015. It has been updated on December 2024.