Achari Paneer
Published Jun 27, 2025
Add CommentThis Achari Paneer is tangy and full of bold flavors from the pickling spices, yogurt and tomatoes. It tastes the best with tandoori roti or butter naan!
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If you have ever wanted to make Dhaba-style tangy Achari Paneer at home, your search ends right here! I make a fresh spice mix with “achari” spices which infuse bold flavors into the paneer and vegetables. The yogurt makes the dish tangy and the use of mustard oil brings all the flavors together. This is best enjoyed with tandoori roti or naan, but a bowl of plain rice with this achari paneer wouldn’t hurt either!
The word achar means “pickle” in Hindi. It’s a little different from the word pickle in the US. When we talk about achar in India it usually refers to a condiment prepared with fruits like lemon, mango, carrots, chilis etc. using oil, lemon juice/vinegar and a bunch of spices. It’s usually eaten as an accompaniment to Indian meals consisting of dal, plain roti, a simple sabzi like aloo gobi and rice.
My nani (grandmother) made a lot of achars for us at home when we were kids. Her most famous one was the one made with red chilies. It was stuffed with a spice mix made with pickling spices like fennel, mustard, kalonji, cumin and fenugreek. The same spices are used in most “achari” recipes like achari bhindi, aloo and this achai paneer recipe for that achari flavor and aroma.
To add a more tangy flavor, we also use yogurt and tomatoes. The onions and peppers in this recipe add a nice crunch that contrasts well with the soft paneer. The main flavor of the dish comes from the freshly made achari masala which is made by grinding together whole spices with dried chilies.
- In my opinion, using mustard oil is key in getting that authentic achari flavor. Do not substitute mustard oil with any other oil while making this recipe. My nani used mustard oil in all her achars, and I believe that this achari paneer needs to be made with mustard oil only.
- An important thing to remember while using mustard oil is to heat it until it smokes, then lower the heat and then start adding your ingredients to the curry. The smokiness removes the raw smell from the mustard oil so it is crucial to smoke it.
Let’s Make Achari Paneer
- Toast the whole spices to make achari masala
Dry roast fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and dried Kashmiri red chilies in a pan until fragrant and then grind them to a fine powder to make the achari masala. Make sure the spices don’t burn in the process, This takes around 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Sauté the vegetables and paneer
Sauté the cubed onions, bell peppers and paneer in some mustard oil. This is an extra step but adds more flavor especially if you are trying to recreate dhaba style achari paneer. You only need to cook them for around 3 to 4 minutes, frying the veggie first and then later adding the paneer.
- Start making the masala “base”
The base masala for this recipe is made with onions, ginger-garlic and tomatoes. Start by frying chopped onions, green chilies and ginger-garlic first. Use homemade ginger-garlic paste for best results. You can add as many green chilies as you would like, depending on the spice levels you prefer.
- Cook the tomatoes
After the onions are translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and cook them until they are soft. I also like adding some tomato paste to deepen the tomato flavor. If you don’t have tomato paste, you can add some store bought tomato puree or even skip it.
- Add yogurt and ground spices
An achari dish needs yogurt for that tangy flavor, make sure to use yogurt at room temperature and stir constantly as you add it. I have used whole milk plain yogurt here. At this stage, also add the prepared achari blend of spices along with some more ground spices like chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric.
- Add back the sautéed paneer & vegetables
To finish off the dish, add back the sauteed paneer and vegetables and let them cook for a few minutes. You can also add some cream if you like at the end (I did not add any).
Extra Tip
Sometimes, I like adding a teaspoon or two of the masala from my favorite achar bottle towards the end while making this dish. It intensifies the achari flavor. So, if you have a favorite mango achar or a green mirchi (chili) achar, just add 1 to 2 teaspoons of the masala from that bottle to this dish towards the end and mix it in. I would start with 1 teaspoon and add more as needed.
To make it vegan: Use extra-firm tofu in place of paneer and use plain soy or almond milk yogurt in place of whole milk yogurt. You can also add a few tablespoons of coconut milk at the end if you wish to make it creamier.
Achari Paneer (Dhaba-Style)
Ingredients
For the achari masala
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 whole Kashmiri red chilies dried
For sautéing the paneer & vegetables
- 2 teaspoons oil I used mustard oil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ of a large green bell pepper cut into cubes
- ½ of a large red bell pepper cut into cubes
- 1 large red onion divided, ¼th of it cut into cubes and rest finely chopped
- 340 grams paneer cut into cubes
For the masala
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon kalonji
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1-2 green chilies sliced, adjust to taste
- 2 medium tomatoes pureed
- 1 tablepoon tomato paste
- ½ cup yogurt I used plain whole milk yogurt, make sure to whisk it and it should be at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped, to garnish
Instructions
Make the achari spice mix
- To a small pan on medium heart, add 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, and 2 dried Kashmiri red chilies. Dry roast them, stirring constantly with a spatula for around 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure they do not burn. Transfer the toasted spices to a spice blender and blend to a fine powder. Set this aside as we will use this later in the recipe.
Sauté the paneer and vegetables
- Put a large pan on medium heat, and once hot, add 2 teaspoons mustard oil to it. Let the oil heat up until it smokes (this is applicable only when using mustard oil, if using any other oil, just heat up the oil). Once the mustard oil smokes up, reduce the heat and then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric and ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and stir. Then add the cubed onions (¼th of a large onion), green and red bell pepper cubes (½ of a large green and red pepper each) and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then add 340 grams cubes of paneer and stir. Cook for 2 more minutes. On the whole the paneer and vegetables need to be cook for 3 to 4 minutes only. Remove the sautéed paneer and vegetables onto a plate.
Make the masala base
- To the same pan on medium heat in which you had sautéed the paneer, now add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil. Again, heat it up until it smokes and then lower the heat and wait few seconds else the spices might burn straightaway. Then, add ½ cumin seeds and ¼ teaspoon kalonji. Let the seeds sizzle.
- Then add the chopped onions ( from remaining ¾th of the large onion) and 1 to 2 sliced green chilies. Cook the onions for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and translucent. Then, add 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste and continue to cook for 1 more minute.
- Add puree of 2 medium tomatoes and 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Then add ½ cup of plain yogurt (whisked and at room temperature) and stir it continuously for 1 minute.
- The spices go in next- 2 & ¼ teaspoon of the prepared achari spice mix that we prepared earlier along with ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or regular chili powder for extra heat) and 1 teaspoon coriander powder. Also, add salt to taste (around ¾-1 teaspoon).
- Cook the spices for 1 minute. Then add ⅓ cup water and stir. You can add a little more water if you prefer more gravy. Cook 30 seconds and then stir in the sautéed paneer and vegetables. Cook the paneer and the onions and peppers for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ¼ teaspoon garam masala and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro to finish. You may also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream if you prefer. Serve hot with tandoori roti or naan.
Notes
- Don’t forget to smoke the mustard oil before you add spices to it (or anything to it). If you don’t do that, your dish will have a raw mustard oil taste and many people are not a fan of that flavor especially if you didn’t grew up eating it.
- You can make this achari paneer recipe as spicy as you like, add more red chili powder, add more of the green chilies to make it super spicy.
- If you don’t have tomato paste, you can skip it. You can also add some store bought tomato-puree if you have that.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
