Paneer Butter Masala

I wanted to make a paneer dish taste close to ‘paneer butter masala’ that we get in Indian restaurants. Here is what I came up with. This rich curry is a great hit with paneer lovers, something you can happily serve at a party.

The best bit – it is not too complicated to cook.

You Need:

• Paneer – 200 grams
• Cream – 1/3 cup
• Milk – 2/3 cup
• Cashew Nuts – 1/2 cup
• Garam masala – 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Red chili powder – To taste
• Salt – To taste
• Onions – 3 medium
• Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
• Garlic – 4 cloves
• Butter – 1 tablespoon
• Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – 1 tablespoon

How To Make Paneer Butter Masala:

Peel and chop onions into 1-cm cubes.

Chop garlic and ginger finely.

Heat a tablespoon of butter in a pan. Add ginger and garlic. Stir around and add cashews and onion. Sauté on medium-high heat.

Cook till the whole thing till it turns brown. Take the pan off the heat.

When the pan cools, transfer the fried cashew-onion mix to a grinder.

Give the grinder a quick run and grind the cashew-onion mix to paste.

Transfer the ground paste back the pan.

Add a tablespoon of hot water to the grinder and turn it around to dissolve any remaining cashew-onion paste stuck to it.

Transfer to hot water too the to pan.

Set the pan on low heat once more, stirring the cashew-onion paste all the while.

Add the dry spices: turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt to taste.

After cooking for 5 minutes, add milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Add the cream.

Stir garam masala and half a tablespoon of crushed kasoori methi into the pan. Add some more hot water if you want a thinner curry.

Slide in cut paneer pieces.

Turn the paneer around in the curry so that it gets coated all over. Simmer  for another minute and switch off the heat.

Clamp the lid of the pan and let it stand for a few minutes to let the flavors infuse.

Garnish paneer butter masala with half a tablespoon of crushed kasoori methi before serving.

Serve with hot chapatis and raita (pomegranate raita is a good choice) on the side.

Notes:

Want to try more special curry recipes? Check out: