Paneer Butter Masala

imageA Simple No-fuss recipe for the popular restaurant classic.
No canned tomato purée, artificial colors or premade spice mix…just a few simple fresh ingredients, that come together in total harmony! Paneer lovers, you will love this 🙂
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You will need…
Ginger-garlic-green chilli, finely minced
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2 small onions, thinly sliced
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3-4 med tomatoes (mine were really big so 2 were enough)
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400 gms paneer, cubed
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4 tbsp cream
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Salt, haldi, red chili pwdr, garam masala pwdr and sugar
Some coarsely pounded dhania seeds
A hefty pinch of kasoori methi.

Method:
Heat a tbsp of butter with a tsp of oil in a cooking pan.
Add a tsp of jeera and 1 heaped tbsp of the minced ginger-garlic-green chilli. Cook for a couple of minutes.
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Add the sliced onion and cook on medium heat till lightly golden,
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Transfer the mix to a blender. Add roughly chopped tomatoes and grind to a smooth paste.
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Pour this paste back to the pan. Add 1/2 tsp haldi, 1 tsp red chilli pwdr and salt to taste.
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Also add 1/3 tsp dhania pwdr (dry roasted and coarsely pounded). Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat till juices reduce and butter/oil separates.
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Do not rush…cook patiently at this stage, the masala should accquire a deep rich reddish hue.
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Now mix in 4 tbsp of cream.
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Bring to a slow simmer.
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Add cubed paneer and 3/4 cup water and mix gently to coat pieces.
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Taste gravy, and add about a tsp of sugar to adjust for tartness.
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At the end sprinkle 1/3 tsp of garam masala pwdr and a generous pinch of kasoori methi, crushed between the palms of your hands.
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Simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes, till the gravy becomes a shade deeper and turns glossy.
Serve with hot roti/Parantha/naan.
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11 Comments

  1. Love the presentation and recipe. Its very tempting

  2. I love using your simple and delicious recipes , Thanks Ruchi for adding some flavors to life.

  3. How to thicken the gravy if i dnt hv creme handy at home? How it is different from paneer lababdaar or shahi paneer??

    • I prefer to make this recipe when I have cream handy…which I feel is a must for this recipe.
      For Shahi Paneer, I use no onions, add ground nuts, apart from cream.
      And for Paneer Lababdar I use ground nuts but no cream.
      Also how the onion and tomatoes are cooked vin these recipes vary slightly…which changes their flavor profile.
      Will share all these recipes….very soon! 🙂

  4. Nirmalavijayavargiya

    Nice & tasty dish

  5. Hey there ,
    Tried this recipe today and it turned out delicious …finger licking good types …Just wanted to thank you for sharing such hearty recipes with all of us. You rock …absolutely love your recipe posts In Euphoric delight too.

    Much love n Best wishes
    Neha

  6. Hi , small doubt . After onions are fried then tomatoes directly into the blender not fried or blanched ?

    • Yes they are put raw into the blender. The tomatoes will be cooked ‘after’ they are puréed with the sautéed onions.

  7. Pls advise, Can I cook masala on thursday and refrigerate and finish up the adding paneer n later steps on Saturday?