Shahi Paneer

Shahi paneer is paneer cubes in a rich, mildly sweet cashew-and-cream tomato sauce. Shahi means royal, and the dish earns the name honestly — it is built for richness and fragrance, not the sharper heat of a chilli-forward curry.

What it really is

Cashews are soaked and blended smooth, then cooked into a tomato-onion base along with cream, giving the sauce a pale orange colour and a texture closer to velvet than a standard curry gravy. Paneer cubes go in only at the end, simmered just long enough to warm through and take on the sauce's sweetness without turning rubbery — a little sugar is often added deliberately, which is part of what separates shahi dishes from their spicier cousins.

The paneer goes in last, not first. Simmered too long in a hot sauce, paneer toughens; added at the end, it stays soft and only just warmed through.

How it is served

• In a bowl with naan or steamed rice.
• Garnished with cream drizzled in a swirl, sometimes with a few strands of saffron.
• As a milder, richer alternative to sharper paneer curries on the same menu.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the dairy and the cashews plainly; both are structural to the sauce, not garnish.
• Say that it's mildly sweet, since that's a genuine point of difference from a savoury-only curry.
• It is naturally vegetarian; note if a vegan cashew-cream version is available.

The ingredients, allergens and dietary notes listed here describe a typical recipe. They are not a binding declaration for any particular restaurant: recipes, portion sizes and the products used can differ.