Paneer Butter Masala is basically a Punjabi dish where fresh Indian cottage cheese is cooked in a creamy rich tomato onion base. Restaurant chefs have altered the recipe, with loads of butter, powdered nuts and cream to offer their customers a tasty treat. People crave for this dish, rates number one among the top most ordered dish from any restaurant menu. I have explored my best to learn this dish in order to acquire the exact or at least to match the so called restaurant taste.
| Ingredients-1 | |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | Paneer (cubed) about 10 pieces |
| 1 cup | Onion (very finely minced) |
| 6 medium sized | Tomatoes |
| 1 teaspoon | Ginger garlic paste |
| 1 | Green chilli (long) |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Fenugreek seeds |
| 2 tablespoons | Kasturi methi |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Red chilli powder |
| 1/4 teaspoon | Turmeric powder |
| 1 cup | Milk |
| 2 tablespoons | Butter |
| 1 teaspoon | Salt (or to taste) |
| 4 teaspoons | Oil |
| 2 teaspoons | Coriander leaves (chopped for garnishing) |
| Ingredients-2 | |
|---|---|
| 10 whole | Cashews |
| 2 teaspoons | Cumin seeds |
| 4 tablespoons | Coriander seeds |
| 2 | Cloves |
| 2 | Cardamon |
| 1 | Cinnamon stick (small) |
| Ingredients-3 | |
|---|---|
| 2 cups | Onion (diced) |
| Ingredients-4 | |
|---|---|
| 2 pinch | Orange red food colour (optional) |
| 1 teaspoon | Fresh cream (optional) |
| 1 teaspoon | Honey (optional) |
1.Boil one cup of milk and simmer to reduce the quantity to half, let cool and keep aside.
2.Dry roast cashews, cumin seeds and dhania separately and grind them along with cloves, cardamon and cinnamon to make a fine powder and keep aside. (table-2)
3. Blanch all the 6 tomatoes. (Blanching —- wash and boil tomatoes in water for 4 to 5 minutes, remove from water and dip them in cold water, this would loosen the outer skin. Remove the skin and blend the tomatoes to make puree)
4. Saute 2 onions (table-3) in 1 tbsp of butter until translucent , let cool and ground to make a thick paste.
5. Slightly toast paneer cubes in some butter and oil about a tsp of each and keep aside. Do not brown them too much, this would make them rubbery. May be you can soak the toasted panner in hot water until the gravy is made, to keep them soft.
6. Now heat remaining butter and oil, toast the fenugreek seeds until golden, add the finely minced onions, green chilli, kasturi methi leaves and ground onion paste. Fry until they turn light brown.
7. Saute them along with ginger garlic paste for couple of minutes. Add in the turmeric and red chilli powder along with the ground cashew spice mix and salt.
8. Fry the masala, when it tend to become little sticky add in the tomato puree, with food colour(diluted with little water).
9. Cook the gravy closed for 3 to 4 minutes.
10. Then add the paneer pieces, honey and milk, simmer for another 3 minutes.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and a teaspoon of fresh cream and serve hot with naan.
Notes
- Honey is optional, substitute it with 1/2 tsp of sugar.
- Fresh cream is only added as a garnish or to decorate the dish, too much of it will make the dish taste sour.
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