Paneer Butter Masala

 

Ingredients

For Preparing Cashew Paste

• 18 to 20 whole cashews
• ⅓ cup hot water for soaking cashews

For Preparing Tomato Puree

• 2 cups diced tomatoes or 300 grams tomatoes or 4 to 5 medium size – pureed

For Making Paneer Butter Masala

• 2 tablespoons butter or 1 tablespoon oil + 1 or 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 1 inch ginger and 3 to 4 garlic – crushed or ground in a mortar and pestle
• ½ to 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch – if using any other chilli powder you can add ¼ to ½ teaspoon
• 1.5 cups water or add as required
• 1 inch ginger julienned, reserve a few for garnishing
• 1 or 2 green chili – slit (reserve a few for garnishing)
• 200 to 250 grams paneer (cottage cheese) – cubed or diced
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) – optional
• ½ to 1 teaspoon garam masala or tandoori masala
• 2 to 3 tablespoons low-fat cream or 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream – optional
• ¼ to 1 teaspoon sugar – optional, add as required depending on the sourness of the tomatoes
• salt as required – check notes below for adding sugar

For Garnishing

• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) for garnishing – optional
• a few ginger julienne
• 1 tablespoon low fat cream 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream – optional
• 1 to 2 teaspoons butter – optional

How to make Paneer Butter Masala

Preparation

1. Soak 18 to 20 cashews in ⅓ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. When the cashews are soaking, you can prep the other ingredients like chopping tomatoes, chopping and preparing the ginger-garlic paste, slicing paneer etc.

3. Crush 1-inch ginger + 3 to 4 medium-sized garlic to a paste in a mortar pestle to a semi-fine or fine paste. Keep aside. Don’t add any water while crushing ginger & garlic.

4. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain the water and add the soaked cashews in a blender or grinder. Also, add 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh water or as required.

5. Grind to a smooth paste without any tiny bits or pieces of cashews.

6. Remove the cashew paste in a bowl and keep aside.

7. In the same blender add 2 cups of diced or roughly chopped tomatoes. No need to blanch the tomatoes before blending.

8. Blend to a smooth tomato puree. Keep aside. Don’t add any water while blending the tomatoes.

Making makhani gravy

9. Heat a thick bottomed pan or a heavy pan. Keep the flame to a low or medium-low. Add 2 tablespoons butter OR 1 tablespoon oil + 1 or 2 tbsp butter in a pan. Adding oil prevents the butter from browning too quickly.

10. If using only butter, then keep the pan on a low flame so that the butter does not melt. You can even add 3 to 4 tablespoons butter for a rich buttery version. Both salted or unsalted butter can be added.

11. Keep the flame to a low. Add 1 medium-sized tej patta (Indian bay leaf).

12. Fry for 2 to 3 seconds or till the oil becomes fragrant from the aroma of the tej patta.

13. Add the prepared crushed ginger-garlic or 1 teaspoon ready ginger-garlic paste.

14. Fry for some seconds till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic disappears.

15. Pour the prepared tomato puree. Be careful while adding the puree as it may splutter.

16. Mix it very well with the butter.

17. Begin to cook the tomato puree on a low to medium-low flame. Stir at intervals.

18. The tomato puree mixture will start simmering.

19. In case the tomato puree splutters too much while cooking then cover the pan partly with a lid or cover fully with a splatter lid (channi lid). the tomato puree might splutter if there is more water content in the tomatoes.

20. Do stir at intervals.

21. Simmer the puree for 5 to 6 minutes.

22. Then add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch. You can even add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper or paprika or any other variety of red chilli powder.

23. Mix well and continue to stir and saute the tomato puree.

24. Saute till the butter starts leaving the sides of the pan and the entire tomato puree mixture comes together as a whole. This entire cooking and sauteing of the tomato puree take about 14 to 17 minutes on a low flame to medium-low flame. Time will vary depending on the thickness of the pan, size, the intensity of flame etc.

25. Now add the prepare cashew paste.

26. Mix the cashew paste very well with the cooked tomato puree and continue to stir and saute on a low to medium-low flame. Stir non-stop after adding cashew paste.

27. Saute till the cashew paste is cooked and again the oil will start to leave the sides of the masala. The cashew will begin to cook fast. Approx 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame. So keep on stirring non-stop.

28. Next add 1.5 cups water.

Making paneer butter masala

29. Mix the water very well with the tomato-cashew makhani masala. If there are lumps of the tomato-cashew masala, then break with a spoon. You can even use a wired whisk for mixing.

30. Let the curry simmer and come to a boil. Stir occasionally.

31. After 2 to 3 mins, add ginger julienne (about 1-inch ginger – cut in julienne (thin matchstick-like strips). Reserve a few for garnishing. The curry will also begin to thicken.

32. After 3 to 4 minutes, add 1 or 2 slit green chillies.

33. Also add salt as per taste and ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional). You can add sugar from ¼ tsp to 1 teaspoon or more depending on the sourness of the tomatoes. Sugar is optional and you can skip it too. If you add cream, then you will need to add less sugar.

34. Mix very well and simmer for a minute.

35. After the gravy thickens to your desired consistency, then add the paneer cubes (200 or 250 grams). Keep in mind the consistency you want before you add paneer as you will be cooking the paneer for some seconds. You can also fry the paneer and then add the paneer once the gravy has become creamy. I keep the gravy to a medium consistency gravy.

36. Stir and mix the paneer cubes gently in the paneer makhani gravy.

37. Now add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi leaves (dry fenugreek leaves) and 1 teaspoon garam masala in the gravy. Addition of crushed kasuri methi gives a restaurant flavor. Kasuri methi is optional and can be skipped.

38. Next add 2 to 3 tablespoons of low-fat cream or 1 to 2 tablespoons of whipping cream.

39. Stir gently but well and switch off the flame.

40. Serve Paneer Butter Masala hot garnished with 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves, the remaining ginger julienne. You can also drizzle some cream or dot with butter while serving. Good combo for this dish is naan or butter naan or tandoori rotis or plain paratha or roomali roti or Kerala Malabar paratha.