Paneer(Cottage Cheese) Butter Masala/Paneer Makhani

Paneer butter masala is one of the most popular paneer recipe in an Indian cuisine. In this dish soft paneer/cottage cheese cubes are simmered in creamy, buttery, spicy and zesty looking onion-tomato gravy.

This dish is rich and creamy which comes from the addition of cream and butter. The gravy is made from onion, tomato,cashews and few spices. To get vivid orangish-redish color just like restaurants, I have not any food color instead i added Kashmiri red chili powder. Though it’s not very spicy but gives nice and natural color to the gravy.

Try it once to fall in love with this heavenly dish.

Cuisine: Indian, North Indian

Recipe Type: Main course

Author: Rateka

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 20-25 mins

Serves: 4

Level of cooking: Medium

INGREDIENTS

200-250 gms of paneer/cottage cheese, cubed or diced
4 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium-sized onion, roughly chopped
7-8 smashed garlic cloves
1 knob of 1/2″ ginger & 1 tbsp of ginger Julienne
3 green chillies
15 cashews
1-2 cinnamon sticks
1-2 bay leaves
4 green cardamom
1/2 ltr water
2 tablespoon of salted butter
2 tablespoon of red chili powder
Kasuri Methi /Dry fenugreek leaves 2 tablespoon
Heavy cream

METHOD

Take a medium-sized pan, put tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, ginger,2 green chillies, cashews, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, green cardamom, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp of red chili powder with 1/2 ltr of water.
Boil all this together for 20 mins on medium flame. Keep stirring occasionally. Turn off the gas after 20 mins and let it cool.
Take a grinder, put all these boiled ingredients into it. Remove bay leaf and extra water before pouring into a grinder.
Grind it into a smooth paste. Make sure cashews are properly blended.
Take a pan, add 1 tbsp of butter, 1 green chili slit into 4, few ginger julienne, saute them for few seconds. Now pour the blended mixture to this and stir well.
Add salt to taste and 1 tsp of red chili powder. Be careful while adding red chili powder as in boiled ingredients also we have added green as well as red chili powder. So adjust as per your liking.
Once gravy is little thick, add paneer cubes and stir well.
Add kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves and cream, mix well and let is get simmered for another 5-6 mins. Turn off the gas.
Garnish with fresh cream and coriander leaves.
Serve hot with any of your favorite breads or rice.

TIPS

If you like little sweetness in your gravy along with spicy and salty flavor, you can add 1-2 tbsp of honey at the end. Though you can add sugar as well but honey gives nice flavor and texture to the gravy.
You can also shallow fry paneer pieces in your gravy if you like.
If you don’t have cream handy while making this dish, you can add milk also instead of cream. Taste may vary slightly. But make sure gas stove should be on low flame while adding milk, else it will be curdle and spoil the smooth texture of the gravy.