Safed Paneer: Indian Cheese Cooked in Rich White Sauce

Soak the cashews/almonds for a few hours. If you are using almonds and they still have the peels on, you will need to remove them. Soak the poppy seeds for a couple of hours.

If you are using store bought paneer: bring one cup of water to a boil. Switch off the heat, add half a teaspoon of salt and the paneer cubes. Cover and set aside for about 15 minutes.

Heat the oil/ghee in a heavy bottomed pan or wok. Add the cinnamon sticks and half the amount of the ground cardamom and cloves. Remove the pan from heat right away to prevent burning the spices. Now add the onions and cook them at low to medium heat. . After about 3-5 minutes of cooking the onions, add the minced garlic and ginger and cook everything together until the onions wilt, soften and reduce to about one third the original amount. Stir and toss them frequently and do not allow them to brown. It will take about 7-10 minutes.The sauce should remain as pure and white as possible.

Now whisk the yogurt (and sour cream if you are using). Drain the poppy seeds. Add poppy seeds, nuts, coconut, red chili powder to the yogurt. When the onions are cooked and reduced, remove the cinnamon sticks from the pan. Strain out onions from the oil (there should be a good amount of oil still left to use) from the onions and add it to the yogurt mix. Blend this mix until very smooth and creamy. Return this to the pan.

Strain out the water (save the water) from the paneer and add the paneer cubes to the pan. (if you are using homemade paneer, you should add the paneer towards the end of the cooking, as the homemade paneer is more delicate and will crumble with prolonged cooking and stirring). Toss gently for the sauce to coat the paneer pieces. Now add the rest of the clove and cardamon powder, white pepper powder and the khoya if you are using. Stir gently and simmer at low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently and gently. If you think the sauce seems too thick for your taste, add a little warm (not hot) milk or the reserved water from the paneer.

Simmer until you see the ghee/oil rising to the top and lining the sides. By now the raw taste of the sauce should have been gone. If you are using heavy cream, add it towards the end of the cooking, when the dish is almost done. Add raisins, if using. Add the salt and adjust to taste. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Cover and switch off the heat.

When ready to serve, toss everything gently and garnish with nuts if you wish.

Serve with Naan, Roti or any flat – bread or any kind of bread or over rice.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Difficulty Level: Intermediate Serves: 4 as a side