Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer butter masala – Homemade paneer cooked in rich, creamy masala is undoubtedly the best way to enjoy cottage cheese.

You might’ve guessed from my last post about how to make paneer that I’ve some droolicious paneer recipes on my mind. And yes, you’re right.

This mutter paneer butter masala is just the beginning. I want to share all my favorite paneer recipes with you.

There’s one very special thing about this paneer curry. This is the first ever paneer recipe on the blog. As a huge paneer lover, it came as a big surprise to me. I’m so happy that I finally decided to share my all time favorite with you.

This paneer butter masala recipe is very similar to butter chicken. Butter is a necessary ingredient in both these dishes, and the rich, colorful sauce makes them stand out from the rest of the Indian curries.

Since I was looking for a super rich sauce for this recipe, I made an onion paste and a cashew paste. Apart from making a thick sauce, these also impart plenty of flavor to the dish. However, if you are looking for a nut -free version of this recipe, you can totally skip the cashew paste.

My favorite part of this recipe is definitely the paneer cubes dunked in the luscious sauce. As the paneer gets cooked in the sauce, it absorbs all the flavors and turn into lip-smacking cheese bites.

I really enjoyed this paneer butter masala with homemade naan and five color pulao. You could serve this with any flavored rice (ghee rice, tricolor pulao) or flatbread (plain parathas, aloo paratha, kale paratha) of your choice.

I used homemade paneer in this recipe. You can find the recipe with step by step pictures here. 

 

Yield: 2

Paneer Butter Masala

Print

Paneer cooked in creamy tomato sauce.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Onion Paste:

• 1 large red onion (1 cup), chopped
• 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1” fresh ginger, chopped

Cashew Paste:

• 8-10 cashew nuts
• Water

Paneer Butter Masala:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (puree)
• Water
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 small onion, diced
• ¼ cup heavy (thickened) cream
• ¼ cup milk
• 250g paneer, cut into cubes
• ½ cup frozen green peas
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Onion Paste:

1. Place onions, garlic and ginger in the small bowl of a food processor. Grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Cashew Paste:

1. Place cashew nuts in a food processor. Add a little water, and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Paneer Butter Masala:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion paste, and sauté, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Add ground cumin, garam masala and red chili powder. Saute for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, and sauté, stirring, for another minute. Add cashew paste, and sauté, stirring, for 1 minute. Add ½ cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until oil separates. Set aside.
2. Heat butter and 1 tbsp oil in another pan. Fry fenugreek seeds. Add onions. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Remove from heat.
3. Place the first pan with the tomato-onion mixture on heat. Add the fenugreek-onion mixture to the pan. Add cream, milk and paneer cubes. Season with salt. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add frozen green peas. Heat through. Remove from heat.
4. Serve warm as a side dish for rice, naan or flatbreads.

Nutrition Information

Yield

2

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 525Total Fat 55gSaturated Fat 22gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 27gCholesterol 104mgSodium 208mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 6gSugar 12gProtein 30g

Like this paneer butter masala recipe? Then join Nish Kitchen on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. Watch exclusive recipe videos on YouTube. Also don’t forget to check out other paneer recipes:

• Homemade Paneer
• Palak paneer
• Malai Kofta
• Malai Paneer Tikka
• Hariyali Paneer Tikka
• Spicy Paneer Tikka
• Cheesy Paneer Pav Bhaji Sliders
• Chilli Paneer
• Paneer Wrap or Paneer Kathi rolls or Paneer Frankie
• Paneer Sandwich
• Tandoori Paneer Quesadilla