This Paneer Bartha Gravy Recipe is something that will leave your taste buds craving for more!
There is a story behind this dish! Once when we went to dine at Hotel Annapoorna, one of the oldest and iconic hotels in Coimbatore , this Paneer Bartha Gravy Recipe was on the specials menu card.
Since I had never heard of this name before we decided to order it as a side for Roti. I was sure the kids would like it as it has paneer and anyway we needed something to go with Roti.
We were smitten as soon as we saw this gravy on the table and from then on we used to order this regularly along with Roti and just for the sake of this dish we used to go there on Sundays as it was a Sunday special dish.
Then somewhere down the line, we stopped going there and then this dish was forgotten! After a year or so when we went back to that hotel , we saw this on the Sunday special menu and ordered it and we were filled with nostalgia,
But the moment we saw the dish on the table we were shocked and disappointed! What was served was something similar to kadai panner and by the looks of it , it was nowhere even close to being called a gravy!
We pointed this out to the person who served us and he took it to the kitchen and came back telling us that this was the dish we had ordered!
Even though we tried to explain , he said this was what the chef had prepared for our order!
So, reluctantly and half heartedly we tasted that dish which was served as Paneer Bartha Gravy and we were even more disappointed when it tasted super spicy, loaded with pepper powder!So we left that dish alone and ordered something else for Roti!
Not sure what happened that day.Was the chef new? Or was the waiter new?Did he hear us wrong ? Was there a miscommunication? God alone knows! But we have never ordered Paneer Bartha Gravy after this incident as we were not ready to take another chance with it!
Then one day, we had this craving for the Paneer Bartha Gravy and I decided to make it at home. With what I remembered from the taste, I cooked with the ingredients from the pantry and I must say it tasted so delicious!
No more worries about being served a wrong dish!!
This gravy is for Blogging Marathon #101, where I have chosen the theme – One ingredient three dishes, for Week 1,where I will be showcasing 3 gravies with Paneer!
Check out the 45+ recipes with paneer that I have showcased in the past and let me know which one of them is your favorite!
Method of preparing Paneer Bartha Gravy Recipe
I used
- Paneer – 150 grams, chopped into small pieces
- Onion-1, large, finely chopped
- Garlic- 1 teaspoon, finely chopped
- Ginger-1/2 teaspoon, grated
- Tomato-2, finely chopped
- Butter- 1 tablespoon
- Fresh Cream – 1/4 cup
- Almonds- 10 numbers
- Melon seeds- 1 tablespoon
- Red chili powder- 1/2 teaspoon
- Kashmiri chili powder- 1 teaspoon
- Coriander powder- 1/2 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
- Garam masala- 1/2 teaspoon + a large pinch
- Salt to taste
- Coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
- Soak the almonds and melon seeds in warm water for 15 minutes.Grind to a smooth paste and keep aside
- Heat butter in a pan and add the onion , galic and ginger. Saute till the onion is soft.
- Add the tomato and cook till mushy.
- Add the ground paste, 1/2 cup of water[adjust to suit the consistency your prefer] and cook for a minute.
- Add the masala powders, salt and simmer.
- Once it starts thickening,and the oil separates, add more water if needed and the paneer pieces.Simmer for two minutes.
- Switch off the flame and add fresh cream and a large pinch of garam masala.
- Give it a mix and remove to a serving bowl.
- Serve garnished with coriander leaves.
Note:
- I added kashmiri chili powder for color and you can skip it and add regular chili powder for extra heat.
- Adjust the masala powders to suit your taste.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#101
Paneer Bharta gravy the name sounds so interesting.. love the texture of the dish.. so rich and creamy.. glad you could make the version by yourself.
Well the chefs keep changing in restaurants so naturally they work accordingly , but at the same time all restaurants have the signature dishes typed and are followed .
Sad that you couldn’t enjoy the dish , but at the same time glad you made the dish yourself .:))
Good that you could replicate the dish. It is disheartening to see the same dish not being recreated, but yes change happens. Liked the recipe to the core, would go well with rotis
Glad you were able to work out the recipe so you do not have to rely on the restaurant. Gravy looks very creamy and paneer always make everything taste great.
This happened once in a restaurant nearby and I guess they changed the chef. That is why I never go to restaurant anymore. Your version of the paneer bargha looks fantastic PJ. With rotis this would make an amazing meal.
Wow! What an experience at the restaurant. It is such a disappointing one. But the good side is that it prompted you to try this wonderful dish. Love it.
Glad that you could replicate the dish and present us this rich and creamy paneer gravy curry. It sure looks and sounds delicious.
Such a creamy and exotic dish with paneer. I am sure it would have tasted better than restaurant one.
I still remember one dish that I used to order in a restaurant nearby that went by the Aloo Punjabi and can you believe it had stuffed paneer cubes in it? I don’t think I have ever tasted something as delicious ever again. I tried recreating but it didn’t turn out the same. I can’t even remember how the cubes were sandwiched with aloo and deep fried. The chef was no more the same and nobody knew it and now the hotel is no more. Such a waste of a beautiful dish I always lament! Reading about your experience surely reminds me of my own. Your gravy looks so yummy PJ…will have to try it sometime.