Restaurant Style Paneer Lababdar Recipe
Paneer Lababdar: Satiate Your Taste Buds With This Creamy Delight
Embark on a culinary journey to the heart of Indian cuisine with the luxurious Paneer Lababdar. This dish promises to tantalize your taste buds with its richness and creaminess, transporting you to the bustling streets of Delhi where aromas waft from every corner, and each bite tells a story of tradition and flavour. So, prepare your palate for a sumptuous and comforting experience with every mouthful.
While indulging in this dish at a restaurant is a treat, it's not always feasible. But fear not, because here's the exciting part—you can recreate the Paneer Lababdar restaurant-style right in your own kitchen! Customize the recipe to your taste and preferences, and let's dive into the world of Paneer Lababdar together!
Homemade Paneer Lababdar Recipe
So, how to make paneer lababdar at home? The recipe is pretty simple. And guess what? There is a vegan version of this rich, creamy delight. You can follow the same steps to make the vegan variant, but only replace a paneer and a few ingredients. More details about the dish are discussed below.
Ingredients
The following ingredients can be used to make paneer lababdar at home. Also, the dish can serve 4-5 people. So, why wait? Let's get cooking!
For Tomato Puree:
• 1 cup of water
• 3 large tomatoes
• 2 pods cardamom
• 15 cashew nuts / Kaju
• 2 cloves
• 1-inch cinnamon
For Gravy:
• 2 teaspoons of butter
• 2 teaspoons of oil
• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (if not available, 2 garlic cloves & 1-inch ginger)
• 1 bay leaf/tej patta
• 2-3 finely chopped green chillies
• 1 finely chopped onion
• ¼ teaspoon jeera
• ¼ teaspoon of turmeric
• ½ teaspoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon of coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon of cumin powder/jeera powder
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi / dry fenugreek leaves
• 1 cup of water
• Salt (per taste)
• ¾ teaspoon of sugar
• 15 cubes of paneer/cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons of grated paneer/cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons of cream/malai
• ¼ teaspoon of garam masala
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped coriander
Alternative Ingredients for Vegan Paneer Lababdar:
To make a vegan variant of this creamy delight, follow the alternate options:-
• Plant-based milk cream instead of dairy-based milk or butter
• Soya paneer instead of dairy-based paneer
• Cooking Process
Below is the process for cooking paneer lababdar:-
Tomato Puree
Follow the below steps to make tomato puree:-
Take a small to medium-sized pan and add tomatoes, cashews, cinnamon sticks, cloves, water, and green cardamoms. Now let this mixture simmer on a low flame.
Cook this mixture until the tomatoes soften. Add more water to soften the tomatoes. Cover the pan and cook to quicken the process. Boiling the tomatoes adds more volume to the gravy, and the spices bring the fragrance.
When this mixture is ready, turn off the gas, set the pan aside and let it cool. Remove the cinnamon sticks and put the mixture in a mixer grinder with the remaining water.
Blend this mixture to make a smooth puree and set it aside. There should be no chunks of cashews or tomatoes.
Paneer Lababdar Gravy
Follow the below steps to make paneer lababdar gravy:-
Turn on the gas, pour cooking oil and butter into a pan or kadai, add a bay leaf or tej patta, green chillies and jeera. Now throw finely chopped onion pieces when the jeera starts to sizzle.
Fry the onions until they turn golden. Add a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste.
Saute the mixture until the raw fragrance is eliminated, which might take one or two minutes. Be careful here because ginger-garlic paste burns swiftly.
Pour the freshly made tomato puree into the pan. If water is present, the mixture might spit, so be careful. Add salt, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder.
Mix these ingredients properly and saute for two to three minutes. Cover the pan or kadai and cook this mixture on a medium to low flame until the gravy thickens.
When this mixture thickens and tends to leave the sides, pour three-fourths to a cup of water to make the gravy.
Add sugar or its substitutes. Saute properly and cook covered until the gravy thickens. You will also spot oil traces over the gravy. Take a spoon and taste the gravy to check if more salt or spices are required.
Cooking Paneer Lababdar
Below are the steps to cook paneer lababdar:-
Add crushed kasuri methi, cubed cottage cheese, and the grated paneer in the gravy.
Saute properly for two to three minutes on a low flame. At this time, pour the cream. Mix properly and turn off the gas.
Present paneer lababdar into a serving bowl and top it up with freshly chopped coriander leaves and more grated paneer. Serve paneer lababdar with rice, roti, naan, paratha, puri or phulka.
Tip: If you are using frozen paneer, first soak the cottage cheese in warm water for a few minutes to soften it before grating or slicing it.
Conclusion
As we wrap up, let's acknowledge the symphony of aromatic spices, rich tomatoes and soft cottage cheese that have graced your plates. Paneer lababdar is a creamy delight that warmly indulges your taste buds, leaving them and your soul content completely satiated. After you are done cooking, your kitchen space will be filled with aroma, and you will crave more!
FAQs
1. How can you make a vegan variant of paneer lababdar?
To make a vegan variant of paneer lababdar, replace paneer with tofu. Also, add corn, chickpeas, and veggies. Substitute dairy-based milk cream with cashew cream or cream made from non-dairy milk.
2. Which kind of tomatoes should you use for cooking cottage cheese lababdar?
To cook this creamy delight, you can use any type of tomato, including canned tomatoes and tomato puree.
3. Can you use the dhungar method to make paneer lababdar?
Yes, you can use the dhungar method to cook paneer lababdar. It will make your dish smoky, and the taste will be similar to that of restaurants.
