Paneer Thecha with Creamy Butter Paneer Gravy

A fiery paneer recipe inspired by colour, contrast, and the Indian tricolour

Sometimes one recipe quietly leads you to the next.

While working on my Paneer Tikka in Palak Gravy, I was completely taken by the colour story on the plate—the deep green palak, the warm golden paneer, and those beautiful pink pickled onions. Even after I had finished styling and photographing it, that play of colours stayed with me.

And somehow, I wasn’t ready to move away from it just yet.

Perhaps it was also the Independence Day mood, but I found myself wanting to continue playing with the colours of our tricolour. This time, instead of a green gravy, I imagined fiery green thecha-coated paneer sitting against a rich orange-red butter paneer gravy.

And that is how this Paneer Thecha with Butter Paneer Gravy happened.

From one paneer experiment to another

Thecha had been appearing everywhere on social media for quite some time, and I had always wanted to try this famous Maharashtrian chutney. Traditionally made with a few green chillies, garlic, and peanuts, it is rustic, punchy, and unapologetically spicy.

I finally made a batch, and trust me—it turned out even better than I had imagined.

The combination of roasted chillies, garlic, and peanuts has so much character. It is spicy, of course, but also nutty, smoky, and incredibly addictive.

For this recipe, I wanted the thecha to cling beautifully to the paneer cubes rather than remain very coarse. So I took a portion of the chutney and blended it slightly smoother before using it as the base of my marinade. It made coating the paneer much easier while still retaining enough texture to remind you that this is very much a thecha-inspired dish.

The paneer cubes were then cooked until lightly charred around the edges while remaining soft inside.

And because thecha brings so much heat and sharpness, I wanted something luxurious and mellow underneath it.

Enter my creamy butter paneer gravy.

The velvety tomato-based gravy softened the heat of the chillies beautifully. A little cream, butter, and cashew gave it that restaurant-style richness, while the spicy paneer sitting on top kept every bite interesting.

Visually too, it was exactly what I had imagined—a feast of green, orange and ivory, with little touches of fresh coriander bringing the entire plate together.

Sometimes, as a food stylist, colour becomes the starting point of a recipe rather than the finishing touch. In this case, the colours led me towards flavours I might otherwise never have thought of putting together.

And thankfully, they worked.

Serves: 3–4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Thecha

• Green chillies, adjust according to heat preference: 3- 4
• Garlic cloves: 5–6
• Roasted peanuts, ¼ cup
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Small handful of fresh coriander, optional
• Lemon juice: 1–2 tsp

For the Thecha Paneer

• Paneer, cut into medium cubes: 300 g
• Prepared thecha: 3–4 tbsp
• Thick yoghurt: 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice: 1 tsp
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Salt, if required

For the Butter Paneer Gravy

• Butter 2 tbsp
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Onion, roughly chopped: 1 medium
• Ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped: 3 medium
• Cashews: 8–10
• Ginger, chopped: 1 tsp
• Garlic 3 cloves
• Kashmiri chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Garam masala: ½ tsp
• Coriander powder: ½ tsp
• Turmeric ¼ tsp
• Sugar, optional: ½ tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Water, as required: ½–¾ cup
• Cooking cream: ¼ cup
• Kasuri methi: ½ tsp
• Additional tsp butter, to finish: 1 additional tsp 

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the green chillies and garlic. Roast over medium heat until the chillies blister slightly and the garlic develops some colour. Add the cumin seeds and roasted peanuts and cook for another minute. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
2. Traditionally, thecha has a wonderfully coarse texture, so you can pound it with a mortar and pestle or briefly pulse it in a food processor with salt and lemon juice.
3. For this recipe, I took a portion of the prepared thecha and blended it a little more finely. This makes it easier to spread evenly over the paneer while still keeping some of that lovely rustic texture. Combine the slightly blended thecha with yoghurt, lemon juice, and oil. Taste before adding any additional salt because the chutney may already be sufficiently seasoned.
4. Gently toss the paneer cubes in the marinade until every piece is well coated. Leave them to rest for about 15–20 minutes. Heat a well-seasoned pan or grill pan over medium-high heat.
5. Arrange the paneer cubes in a single layer. Cook until the sides develop some colour and light charring, turning carefully so the paneer remains intact. Avoid cooking them for too long—the contrast between the slightly charred exterior and soft interior is what makes them particularly delicious. Keep aside.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon butter along with the oil in a pan. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté until softened. Add the tomatoes and cashews. Season with Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, and salt. Cook until the tomatoes become completely soft and begin to release their juices. Add a splash of water, cover, and cook for approximately 8–10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then blend until completely smooth. For an extra-silky restaurant-style gravy, pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
7. Return the smooth tomato mixture to the pan. Add a little water until you reach your preferred consistency.
8. Stir in the garam masala, sugar if using and crushed kasuri methi. Simmer gently for 3–4 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the cream, followed by the remaining butter. Mix until you have a glossy, velvety orange gravy.
9. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon a generous amount of the warm butter paneer gravy onto your serving plate.
10. Arrange the thecha-coated paneer cubes over the gravy rather than stirring them into it. This way, you retain the contrast between the fiery green marinade and the creamy orange tomato gravy—both visually and in flavour.
11. Finish with fresh coriander, a small drizzle of cream if you like, and perhaps a few crushed roasted peanuts for additional texture.