Hariyali Paneer (Green Masala Paneer)
Updated May 12, 2026
- Ready In
- 40 min
- Rating
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Ingredients
1½ cups fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1½ cups fresh mint leaves
1 cup water, divided, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons ghee or neutral oil, divided
1 pound paneer, cubed into ½-inch pieces (see Tip)
1 small Spanish or white onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon freshly grated garlic or garlic paste
4 Thai green chiles, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¾ teaspoon Kashmiri or other red chile powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons cashew or other nut butter
½ cup water, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons Greek or coconut yogurt (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon (2 to 3 tablespoons)
Basmati rice or naan, for serving (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Blend the cilantro, mint and ½ cup of water in a blender on medium for 10 to 45 seconds, until it forms a smooth, loose paste similar to a green chutney.
- Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee on medium heat in a frying pan or pot large enough to hold the paneer in a single layer. Once the ghee has thinned out, about 30 seconds, add the paneer in a single layer and let it cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, until the surface in contact with the frying pan turns golden brown. Remove the paneer from the pan and set aside.
- Step 3
Add the remaining ghee to the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green chiles, cumin seeds, chile powder and salt. Add the cashew butter and blended herb mixture and stir until everything is evenly mixed together. Add ½ cup water to thin out the sauce.
- Step 4
Add the seared paneer and stir until the paneer is coated. If a looser sauce is desired, gradually add up to another ½ cup water until the desired thickness is reached. Stir in the yogurt if using, along with the lemon juice. Taste and season with salt if desired. Serve the saucy paneer with rice or roti.
If store-bought paneer seems dry and rubbery, soak the cubed pieces in warm water for 10 minutes to soften. Drain before cooking.
Private Notes
Comments
Fantastic recipe - super doable for a weeknight! I admit I did partake in a decent amount of subbing, but either way this recipe was a perfect base for riffing. I used parsley instead of cilantro (I have the soap thing), added tofu for extra protein, and used peanut butter instead of cashew because that’s all I had (I was worried, but it worked totally fine)! Sprinkled with cashews and ate over short grain brown rice. Excited for its “day 2” flavor profile tomorrow.
@Val in the NYT Cooking app you can tap on the ruler icon above the ingredients list, switch to metric, and you'll see a weight. (I don't think that's available on the website though.) It reveals 30 grams for cilantro and 25 for mint, but doesn't give a weight for "small onion" or the garlic.
How much is 1 1/2 c (loosely packed? tightly packed?) fresh cilantro by weight? Ditto fresh mint. I do not understand why you don't just tell me "3 ounces of fresh cilantro" or whatever.
Decent and easy recipe that captures the essence of the dish. I ground the green chiles with the cilantro and mint to tamp down the spice but keep the flavor. I also used grated ginger with the garlic, a tiny bit of garam masala and a pinch of sugar to enhance the flavor profile. I did not have cashew butter on hand but did have raw cashews which I soaked in warm water and ground to a coarse granular paste resembling cashew butter. Next time, I wouldn’t shallow fry the paneer as I felt it prevents it from absorbing the flavors adequately. I skipped the yogurt as I felt the cashew paste made it plenty creamy and rich. Otnwr
I have noticed some Indian recipes on the NYT app ask for cashew butter. my Punjabi friends were very confused when I asked them where they got theirs and mentioned that they had never cooked with it. Are these recipes a regional variation?
I think most traditional recipes would use butter, heavy cream or whole milk (sometimes a combo) - this version aims at achieving the same sauce/emulsification effect you'd get with cashew butter but improves the nutritional profile or it at least appeals to a buzzier food/"health" trend and audience.
Indian recipes can incorporate nuts and typically these are soaked in water and then ground to a paste. Cashew/Almond butters are a short cut to achieve the same- getting popular in India too!
Outstanding and worth the work! Restaurant-quality. So delicious. I used half cilantro and half mint, as the recipe suggests. 3 packed cups total. I’m glad I trusted my gut and used 1 Thai green chile, not 4. The sauce still had a noticeable kick.

