Paneer Butter Masala
Easy-peasy restaurant-style paneer butter masala or paneer makhani recipe! This crowd-pleaser paneer butter masala is a nut-free and semi-homemade recipe.
Servings: 10
Calories: 249kcal
Equipment
- Kadai or Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lb paneer block
- 1.5 cup water plus hot water for soaking the paneer
To Grind-
- 1 medium-sized onion approx 130 grams chopped
- 1 tomato approx 120 grams, chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
Other Ingredients-
- 1.5 tbsp butter
- 2 bay leaves dried ones
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- ¾ tsp red chili powder heaped or to taste
- 1 tsp sugar or to taste
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 1 cup heavy cream a half-pint pack
- 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
Instructions
Chop and soak the paneer-
- Cut the paneer into shapes according to your preference. If it's for a party or get-together, I prefer this triangle shape.
- Soak this paneer in hot water until the gravy is ready or for about 30 minutes. Soaking softens the paneer. If you are using homemade paneer and if it's fresh, skip this step.
Prepare the tomato-onion paste-
- In a mixer jar, add the chopped onion, tomato, and the ginger-garlic paste as well. Blend it into a smooth paste. No need to add any water.
Prepare the paneer masala-
- Heat the pan or kadai and add the butter. Let it melt.
- When the butter melts, add the bay leaves and saute for 20 seconds or so. Then add the ground onion-tomato mix.
- Cook thoroughly until the raw smell goes off, and all the moisture is absorbed, as shown in the picture. This is an important step. Make sure you cook this paste until the moisture is absorbed. It usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Now add the tomato puree and 1.5 cups of water. Mix well.
- Add the salt, sugar, red chili powder, and garam masala. Mix thoroughly.
- Cook for 5 minutes and add all the paneer. Gently mix.
- Then add the cream right away and mix thoroughly. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. As the bubble starts to form, turn off the heat. Crush the fenugreek leaves and add it.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with your favorite Indian flat-bread or rice.
Notes
- This dish is very mild and doesn't call for many spices. Red chili powder and garam masala or curry powder are sufficient. Adjust both according to your taste.
- Adjust the salt and sugar depending upon the sourness of the tomato. If you are using tomato paste, you might have to add little extra sugar. I feel tomato paste adds a little more tanginess.
- Instead of tomato puree, you can add tomato paste. You can use a 6 oz tomato paste can and mix it with 2 to 2.5 cups of water without any lumps and add it instead of tomato puree.
- I have added 1 tbsp of dried fenugreek. It balances all the sweetness that comes from the cream. You need a minimum of 1 tbsp, but you can add up to 2 tbsp or as per your taste.
- As we are not adding any nuts, we need all that cream. You can reduce it to half a cup, but I won't recommend reducing it any further or for this measure atleast.
Nutrition
Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 515mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 699IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 1mg