Paneer Butter Masala

Illustrative stock photos, not this exact recipe. Photo credits are at the bottom of the page.

Paneer butter masala is the restaurant favorite: soft cubes of paneer in a silky, orange tomato gravy enriched with butter and cream. The home version is easier than it looks.

The silky texture comes from blending the cooked tomato, onion and cashew base until completely smooth before simmering it with the spices.

Recipe label: Based on traditional technique. Photo: illustrative stock photo, not the finished dish from this exact recipe.

Photo credits: Kalyani Akella on Unsplash; Photo 2: Prabal Pratap Singh on Pexels; Photo 3: Harish .P on Pexels. Free stock photos, used under the Unsplash or Pexels license and shown here as illustrations only.

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Paneer Butter Masala

Author: KP Cooking Method: Simmering Cuisine: Indian Courses: Dinner Recipe Keys: Gluten Free Vegetarian Meals

Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 25 mins Total Time 40 mins

Servings: 4

Description

Soft paneer in a creamy, mildly sweet tomato-butter gravy. Restaurant-style flavor you can make at home in 40 minutes.

Ingredients

Servings

• 250 g paneer (9 oz, cubed)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 500 g ripe tomatoes (4, chopped)
• 8 cashews
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) (crushed)
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• 120 ml cream (½ cup)
• water (as needed)

Instructions

1. Cook the onion, tomatoes, cashews and ginger-garlic paste in 1 tablespoon of butter with ½ cup of water, covered, for about 12 minutes until very soft. Cool slightly and blend to a smooth puree.
2. Heat the rest of the butter and the oil. Add the puree, chili powder, coriander and salt. Simmer 8-10 minutes until the oil starts to separate.
3. Add the sugar, crushed kasuri methi, garam masala and cream. Add the paneer and simmer 3-4 minutes on low.

Note

Soak the paneer in warm water for 10 minutes for extra softness. Kashmiri chili gives color without much heat. Do not boil hard after adding the cream. For a dairy-free version use tofu and coconut cream. Keeps 3 days in the fridge.