Paneer Butter Masala | How To Make Paneer Butter Masala | Paneer Makhani
Paneer Butter Masala or Paneer Makhani or Paneer Makhanwala! What's in a name? This is one gorgeous, fragrant and delectable North Indian paneer dish with its luxurious orange hues. Here's a step by step recipe to make paneer butter masala without onion and garlic.
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 250 grams paneer, cut into bite-sized cubes/triangles
- 750 grams ripe red tomatoes, I used 5 tomatoes on the vine
- 1- inch ginger + 2-3 green chillies, coarsely crush both in a mortar pestle
- whole spices, 2 bay leaves, 1-inch cinnamon, 3 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, few blades of mace,5 -6 peppercorns
- 7-10 cashew nuts/almonds, soaked in warm water for 20-30 minutes
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 to 1 tsp sugar, adjust according to the sourness of the tomatoes
- 1/2 tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), dry roasted and crushed between palms
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1/4 cup heavy cream/fresh malai
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. In the meanwhile make an 'X' at the bottom of each tomato. Immerse them in the boiling water, when you see the skin has blistered, remove them and transfer to a bowl filled with ice cold water. Peel the skin, roughly chop the tomatoes.
- Transfer the chopped tomatoes along with its juices & soaked and drained cashew nuts in a blender. Blend till smooth, strain and set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons butter plus oil in a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai, add whole spices.
- When the spices become fragrant add coarsely crushed ginger green chilli paste. Sauté until the rawness is gone. Add Kashmiri chilli powder, sauté over medium-low heat for 10 secs.
- Immediately add the prepared tomato purée, mix well with the seasoned butter, cover and let it cook on medium-low heat until it leaves fat. Stir in between to prevent any sticking at the bottom of the pan. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Now add tomato ketchup, salt (to season), sugar (to balance out the tartness of the tomatoes), Kasoori methi, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and garam masala. Sauté it on medium heat for another minute.
- Add 3/4 to 1 cup water (adjust as per desired consistency), mix well and bring to a boil. Check for seasonings and adjust now.
- Add paneer pieces (you can also fry the paneer pieces and keep them immersed in water until ready to use in the gravy, I've used fried paneer pieces), mix well and let it simmer covered for another 5 minutes so that the paneer absorbs all the flavors.
- Finally add the cream and another tablespoon of butter, mix well and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Finish it off with a little sprinkle of kasuri methi. Switch off the heat and serve with pilaf or any flatbread!
Notes
- You can grind the tomatoes and cashew nuts separately too. After tomato paste leaves sides of the pan, add cashew paste and sauté until that leaves sides and forms a thick paste. Proceed as directed from there on.
- For a low-calorie version, skip the butter completely, add 1-2 teaspoons of oil and prepare the dish. Keep splashing water to prevent anything from sticking at the bottom of the pan. Replace the cream with skim milk.
- If you want to use onions and garlic, make a paste of boiled onions, sauté that first till golden brown then add tomato purée. If adding garlic, make a coarse paste along with ginger and green chillies and use.