Nish Kitchen

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Paneer Butter Masala

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

paneer butter masala recipe 1

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’ve made a detailed video of this recipe for you. Don’t forget to check it out.

how-to-make-paneer-butter-masala

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

As I was making the video recipe, I didn’t take many pictures. I totally forgot the picture of cashew paste. But you can see how it looks in the video. So here’s what’s happening in the pictures.

  1. Make a paste using onions, garlic, and ginger. Set aside. You should also make cashew nut paste (not in the picture).
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the onion paste until browned.
  3. Fry ground cumin, garam masala and red chili powder. Add tomato paste, and fry for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water. Mix well. Cook for few minutes. Set aside.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in another pan. Fry fenugreek seeds.
  5. Fry diced onions until browned. Set aside.
  6. Now place the pan with tomato mixture back on heat. Add the fried onions into it. Add cream and milk. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Add paneer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add green peas. Mix well and heat through. Serve hot.

paneer-butter-masala-recipe

More Indian authentic recipes:

5.0 from 3 reviews
Paneer Butter Masala
 
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Paneer cooked in creamy tomato sauce.
Author:
Recipe type: Side dish
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 2
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.

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Comments

  5. I love paneer, but I have never ever prepared this at home. I always eat paneer dishes at Indian restaurants. This dish looks super creamy and delicious.

    This is my first time here and you have a very nice blog.

    http://www.rasakama.com

    A Sri Lankan food blog