PANEER BUTTER MASALA | HOW TO MAKE PANEER MAKHANI
Paneer Butter Masala | Paneer Makhani, every curry lover’s favorite is the rich, creamy paneer curry packed with scrumptious flavors.
This is the best restaurant-style recipe to recreate with kitchen basics at home easily. It is the delight of North India that is found in every Indian restaurant.
We call this dish by several names which include Butter Paneer, Paneer Makhanwala, Paneer Makhani, Shahi Paneer, Butter Paneer Masala.
The dish has the tasty tanginess coming from tomatoes, slight sweetness from the onions, and the richness from the butter and cashews and is enhanced by the amount of cream added.
The key ingredients in this recipe are cashews and butter. Cashews thicken the curry and provide richness to the sauce, while butter gives the dish a velvety texture. The fresh cream elevates the dish by creating a rich, silky smooth, velvety sauce.
To prepare this dish, first sauté the onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and cashews with the spices. Blend this mixture to a smooth puree. The sauce is then cooked with butter before the paneer cubes are dunked. Finally, garnish with Kasuri methi and cream.
It is a must-have dish for many vegetarians looking to supplement their protein intake. Vegans can make this luscious one by substituting tofu for paneer, coconut milk for cream, and oil/vegan butter for butter.
The soft, succulent malai cubes dipped in the spicy, sweet, tangy, and creamy curry are best served with roti, naan, butter naan, plain rice, or chapati. Try other curry dishes featured in this blog Stuffed Brinjal, Rajma, Kadai Mushroom, Baby Potato Curry, Majjige Huli, Matar paneer
Tips for making the ultimate restaurant style dish
- To achieve the ideal balance, always use red, ripe tomatoes that are not very sour.
- Blend the onion-tomato mixture to a smooth puree and strain the blended mixture to get the silky, smooth gravy.
- If using a store-bought malai, soak it in hot water and salt to soften it.
- Cooking the gravy after adding the cream may cause the cream to split owing to the presence of preservatives.
- To balance out the flavors, add a pinch of sugar.
- Use Kashmiri red chili powder to achieve a bright orange color gravy.
How to make Paneer butter Masala
- In a pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds.
2. Saute the onions until they are caramelized.
3. Add tomatoes and saute for a minute.
4. Next, add ginger, garlic, and cashews. Cover and cook the mixture until the tomatoes turn mushy for 2-3 minutes.
5. Now, add red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, and garam masala. Saute for a minute, add a small amount of water to prevent the spices from burning.
6. Turn off the flame, cool and blend the mixture to get a smooth puree, then strain the puree.
7. In the same pan, add butter and a few cumin seeds.
8. Sauté cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves until they turn aromatic.
9. Add 1/4th tsp of red chili powder and a pinch of turmeric and saute. (Do not burn the spices)
10. Pour the blended puree and water. Cook until the sauce thickens and butter oozes out of the mixture. Add 1/4th tsp of sugar to balance out the flavor.
11. Add malai cubes to the curry and cook for 1-2 minutes on low flame.
12. Sprinkle some crushed Kasuri methi and add the cream.
13. Serve this delicious Paneer Butter Masala with Roti, Naan, Chapati, or plain rice
Restaurant style Paneer Butter Masala
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1½ tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 Onions medium-sized
- 3 Tomatoes medium-sized
- 1 inch Ginger
- 4-6 Garlic cloves
- 8-10 Cashews
- ¾ tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Garam masala
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Bay leaves
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Kasuri methi
- 2 tbsp Fresh Cream
Instructions
- In a pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds.
- Saute the onions until they are caramelized.
- Add tomatoes and saute for a minute.
- Next, add ginger, garlic, and cashews. Cover and cook the mixture until the tomatoes turn mushy for 2-3 minutes.
- Now, add red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala. Saute for a minute, add a small amount of water to prevent the spices from burning.
- Turn off the flame, cool, and blend the mixture to get a smooth puree, then strain the puree.
- In the same pan, add butter and few cumin seeds.
- Saute cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves until they turn aromatic.
- Add 1/4th tsp of red chili powder and a pinch of turmeric and saute. (Do not burn the spices)
- Pour the blended puree and water. Cook until the sauce thickens and butter oozes out of the mixture. Add 1/4th tsp of sugar to balance out the flavor.
- Add paneer cubes to the curry and cook for 1-2 minutes on low flame.
- Sprinkle some crushed Kasuri methi and add the cream.
- Serve this delicious Paneer Butter Masala with Roti, Naan, Chapati, or with plain rice
