Restaurant style Paneer Butter Masala Recipe with step by step photos - This Paneer or Indian Cottage cheese cubes are cooked in a rich buttery, creamy and mildly sweet gravy. It's so simple and easy to make that is creamy and delicious. It is best served with roti's, paratha's, with naans or simple rice.
The method to make paneer butter masala is similar to my paneer makhani recipe except for the ingredients added and made by using onion-tomato-cashew paste, with some essential Indian spices.
Paneer is a type of fresh cheese common in Indian subcontinent, and it is one of the most popular Paneer recipes in Indian cuisine.
This is a rich curry and filled along with the butter and fresh cream I have also added cashews and almonds to make more rich & delicious. This is a good paneer recipe when you have guests at home or to make during a festival or family-friends get together celebration. This full proof recipe where no need to soak cashews, you can check the recipe !!
I am not a big fan of paneer but my husband loves paneer so much. Whenever, we plan for outdoor dinners, Paneer Butter Masala is one of the most ordered dishes in it and now-a-days it has gained popularity in non Indian people as well too who occasionally like to try Indian food.
Paneer Butter Masala pairs very well with most Indian Breads like Phulka's, Tandoori Butter Naan, Paratha etc. as well as with Rice varieties like Jeera Rice or even plain rice. The looks of the dish are exotic and its tastes yum !!
This makes this dish more appropriate for occasional treats, special events, celebrations, gathering and parties.
Let's start the recipe of "Paneer Butter Masala" with step by step process followed by pictures also.
Ingredients :
Roughly chopped Onion(medium sized) - 2 no
Roughly Chopped tomatoes(large sized) - 3 no
Finely chopped Ginger(Adrak) - 1 inch tbsp and
Juvenille ginger - 1/2 spoon(optional)
Garlic(lahsun) - 4-5 cloves
Slit Green Chillies(Hari mirch) - 2 nos(small)
Cashew nuts(kaju) - 5-6 nos
Almonds (badam) - 4-5 nos
Fresh Cream(Amul) - 1 tablespoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Cinnamon (Dalchini) - 1/2 inch
Green Cardamom(Choti Hari Elaichi) - 2 no
Bay Leaf (Tej Patta) - 1
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Garam Masala - 1/2 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder (Haldi)- 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder) - 1/2 Teaspoon
Water
cooking oil - 1/2 tblespoon
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon or 1 Teaspoon Honey
Crushed Dry Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi) - 1 Tablespoon
Fresh Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp for garnishing
Preparation Method :
1. To make the base for the "butter masala" - Take water in a pan, add roughly chopped onions, tomato, ginger, cloves, 1/2 tablespoon of butter, red chilli powder and slit 1 green chillies(it's optional, if you don't love green chillies then don't add). Add the cashew nuts and boil for 10-12 minutes, when onion changes the color and tomatoes becomes soft, mash it with the help of spatula, turn off the flame.
2. Then strain the concoction(discard bay leaf and cinnamon) and grind it into a puree with the stock(same water which we boil).
3. Now take 1/2 tbsp butter with 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan, put on slow flame...add red chilli powder, juvenile of ginger, 1 slit green chilli and 2 tablespoon of above puree with cubes of paneer...saute the paneer with all, keep rest of the puree aside for later use.
4. Now add the rest of the onion tomato paste to the pan and add garam masala and turmeric powder to the mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Also add some sugar or honey to the gravy. Adding Sugar is optional but it gives a nice taste to the gravy. You can also replace Sugar with honey.
6. Now add fresh cream to the gravy and mix everything well. The cream will give a richness to the gravy. If you want to skip it you can use a little bit of milk instead.
7. Sprinkle some crushed Dry Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi) and cook everything for 3-4 minutes.
8. Paneer Butter Masala is ready. You can garnish it with chopped coriander leaves or a drizzle of cream. Serve it hot with any Indian Bread like Naan, Missi Roti, Lachha Paratha or with some rice preparation like Jeera Rice.
To PIN it later
Happy Cooking & Enjoy !!