Achari Paneer – A Flavourful Blend of Pickle Spices

Servings: 4-5
Preparation time: 5-7 minutes.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.
Total time: 22 minutes.

If you are vegetarian, paneer is always a perfect choice: whether you are celebrating a special occasion, inviting guests, or preparing something festive, paneer dishes never fail to impress.

It is also a great source of nutrients for everyday meals, while in winter, rich and royal paneer recipes feel especially comforting, in scorching summer of Mumbai, when we rely on air conditioners all the day, a tangy and flavourful paneer dish feels just right.

So today, I cooked “Achari Paneer– A Flavourful Blend of Pickle Spices” it’s bold and tangy taste turned out so amazing that I truly didn’t expect it to be this delicious.

Achari Paneer is a bold and flavourful Indian dish that brings together the richness of soft paneer with the tangy and spicy taste of traditional pickling spices.

The word “achari” comes from achar (pickle), and this dish beautifully captures those signature flavours.

For this recipe, I used readymade achari masala easily available at the grocery stores, which added a perfect blend of spices and saved time in preparation.

To enhance the authentic pickle-like flavour, I also added some leftover mango pickle masala from my home. This combination brought a rich, tangy and slightly spicy taste to the dish, making the Achari Paneer even more flavourful and close to traditional homemade achar taste.

Ingredients:

Paneer (Cottage Cheese): 200 gm
Onion: 2 no (Medium size)
Tomato: 1 no. (Medium size)
Green Chilli: 2-3 no.
Ginger: 1” piece
Fresh Curd: 1 tablespoon
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Achari Masala Powder: 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder: 2 pinch
Coriander Powder: 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Kashmiri Chilli powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Panch Phoran: 1/2 teaspoon
Bay Leaf: 2 no.
Mango Pickle Masala: 1 teaspoon
Mustard oil: 3-4 tablespoon

Preparation:

Chop paneer, put it into turmeric water bowl ( in a water bowl put 1 pinch of turmeric).
Chop onion into fine pieces, keep aside.
Grind tomato and ginger into fine paste, keep aside.

Method:

Heat oil in a heavy bottom frypan; fry paneer for couple of minutes on medium flame, take it out, keep aside for further use.
Add panch phoran and bay leaf into same pan; sputter for few seconds.
Add chopped onion and green chilli; stir fry for couple of minutes on high flame, add ground tomato and ginger paste.
Continue to fry for couple of minutes on medium flame; add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, stir fry for few seconds.
Lower the flame; add curd, continue to stir until oil realises from the masala.
Add Achari masala powder and mango pickle masala; stir fry for few seconds on low flame.
Add 1/2 cup of hot water; add fried paneer; cook for couple of minutes with lid on, on low flame.
Put off the flame “Achari Paneer – A Flavourful Blend of Pickle Spices” is ready to serve with Poori, Dost Paratha, Rice.
It is very good to carry in your lunch box, ideal for travelling.