Fast Curries
A fool-proof recipe, Kashmiri Paneer Aloo – Instant Pot Paneer Potato Curry is a delicious side dish that goes with rice or naan. Paneer with potatoes is a dish I know my family will always enjoy.
Traditionally, in the authentic recipe, potatoes and paneer are both deep fried for a crispy outside, and then cooked in spices to make the insides soft and tender. However, I have eliminated the deep-frying process. I have sautéed the potatoes in oil and then added the spices, yogurt, water, paneer and pressure cooked them all together. Please feel free to deep fry if you wish. You can follow the same steps after.
How do I make Kashmiri Paneer Aloo – Instant Pot Paneer Potato Curry?
Firstly, chop the paneer into mid-size cubes, 2 inch by 2 inch. In thickness they need to be about 1/4th inch thick. I used Halidram brand of frozen paneer and thawed it before using. In order to thaw it kept it on the kitchen counter out of the refrigerator overnight.
I chopped it horizontally and vertically and got 16 pieces out of 1 block of paneer.
Potatoes: Second, peel the potatoes, rinse them and pat them dry. Slice them in circles, roughly ¼ inch thick evenly. Make sure they aren’t too thin.
Cook:
First, select sauté on the Instant Pot and adjust to normal. Next, add oil to the pot.
When the oil is hot, add in potatoes to the pot and let them sauté for 2 minutes until they are slightly golden. Turn them after the 2 minute mark when they are golden brown. Sauté them for another two minutes on the other side.
When 4 minutes of sautéing are up move the potatoes to the side and add in asafoetida, cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf, black cardamom pods, green cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick. Stir and let it sauté for a few minutes until the cumin seeds splutter.
Then add ground turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, ground ginger, ground fennel, ground cumin, salt and 1/4 cup water. Again, give it a good stir.
Furthermore, add whipped yogurt and stir well. Let it sauté for a minute.
Next, add paneer, 3/4 cup water, and stir gently without breaking the paneer. Also, make sure the spices coat the paneer well. Press cancel.
Once all the ingredients are in, seal the pot and select manual/high pressure for 3 minutes.
Finally, when cooking is complete, use quick pressure release to depressurize. Transfer to a serving bowl, discard the bay leaf and serve over steamed rice.
Tried this recipe yet? Give us a rating, comment below in the reply section and let us know what you think.
Try some of our other Kashmiri recipes:
Kashmiri Haak Aloo – Instant Pot Kale and Potato Curry
Swiss Chard Curry – Instant Pot Kashmiri Haak
Kashmiri Paneer Aloo – Instant Pot Paneer Potato Curry
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 yukon gold potato, medium (6.9 oz)
- 12 oz paneer (haldiram brand or preferred brand or homemade)
- 5 tbsp oil of choice
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 3 whole cloves (laung)
- 1 dried bay leaf (tej patta)
- 2 whole black cardamom pod (kali elaichi)
- 2 whole green cardamom pod (hari elaichi)
- 1 cinnamon stick 2 inch piece (dalchini)
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (haldi)
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (sonth)
- 1 tbsp ground fennel (saunf powder)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (jeera powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup water (divided)
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt (either low fat or from whole milk) (at room temperature whisked well)
Instructions
Prep
- Firstly, chop the paneer into mid-size cubes, 2 inch by 2 inch. In thickness they need to be about 1/4th inch thick. Roughly 16 pieces.
- Second, peel the potatoes, rinse them and pat them dry. Slice them in circles, roughly ¼ to 1/2 inch thick evenly. Make sure they aren’t too thin, or else they will break.
Cook
- First, select sauté on the Instant Pot and adjust to normal. Next, add oil to the pot.
- When the oil is hot, add in potatoes to the pot and let them sauté for 2 minutes until they are slightly golden. Turn them after the 2 minute mark when they are golden brown. Sauté them for another two minutes on the other side.
- When 4 minutes of sautéing are up move the potatoes to the side and add in asafoetida, cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf, black cardamom pods, green cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick. Stir and let it sauté for a few minutes until the cumin seeds splutter.
- Then add ground turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, ground ginger, ground fennel, ground cumin, salt and 1/4 cup water. Again, give it a good stir.
- Furthermore, add whipped yogurt and stir well. Let it sauté for a minute.
- Next, add paneer, 3/4 cup water, and stir gently without breaking the paneer. Also, make sure the spices coat the paneer well. Press cancel.
- Once all the ingredients are in, seal the pot and select manual/high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Finally, when cooking is complete, use quick pressure release to depressurize. Transfer to a serving bowl, discard the bay leaf and serve over steamed rice.
Notes
- Kashmiri’s typically deep fry the potatoes and paneer. I have eliminated that step and have sauteed the potatoes in the pot. Please feel free to deep fry if you’d like.
- If you choose to deep fry please fry both the paneer and potatoes until they turn golden brown. Drain the excess oil on a napkin. After that follow the steps of adding oil and the whole spices.
- Also please feel free to reduce the amount of oil you’d like. Since I haven’t fried the paneer and potatoes, I have used oil generously to saute the potatoes. If you like to reduce the oil you can reduce it to 3 to 4 tbsp’s. Oil is really a personal preference and can be reduced.
- The whole spices (cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf, can be discarded, they don’t need to be consumed).
