Paneer Butter Masala

5 from 2 votes

Paneer Butter Masala

My family-friendly paneer butter masala is a perfect balance of spiciness and creaminess, and works really well with Indian breads or rice, and starchy dishes, such as aloo masala and dal fry.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Hindu, Vegetarian

Nut-Free: No

Soy-Free: Yes

Gluten-Free: Yes

Servings: servings

Calories: 826kcal

Author: Nicole

Ingredients

350 g paneer (either home-made or shop-bought)
1 onion (c. 100g / 3½oz) , roughly-chopped
2.5 cm piece of ginger root , roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic , peeled and roughly chopped
5 medium-sized tomatoes , roughly chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Indian bay leaf (tej patta)
1 green finger chilli , split lengthways
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tablespoons cashew cream (or 15 cashews - see notes in post)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
125 ml double cream (heavy cream)
1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
30 g unsalted butter
Salt , to taste

To Serve

Fresh coriander leaves , chopped
Cream , to drizzle (optional)

Equipment

food processor
blender
wok
kadai

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Dry-fry the paneer

Cut 350g of paneer into cubes, and fry in a skillet over a medium heat with no additional fat, until golden brown. Remove from the pan, and set aside.

Purée the vegetables and aromatics

While the paneer is browning, blitz 1 large chopped onion, a 2,5cm (1") piece of ginger, and 4 large cloves of garlic in a food processor or a blender for couple of minutes, until you have a thick paste. (Add a little of the oil if you're having difficulty blending.)
Remove from the processor / blender, and set aside.
Add 5 medium chopped tomatoes to the processor or blender, and blitz for a few seconds, until you have a coarse purée. Set aside.

Make the gravy

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a karahi (or wok, or large skillet), add 1 Indian bay leaf and 1 split green finger chilli. Fry over a medium heat for 1 minute.
Add the onion, garlic, and ginger paste, and fry - stirring all the time - until the raw smell has gone. This should take around 5 minutes.
Add ½ teaspoon of turmeric, stir well, and fry for another 30 seconds or so.
Add 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli powder and 2 tablespoons of cashew cream, and continue to fry, stirring occasionally for another 2 minutes.
Add the puréed tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of sugar, mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the oil starts to separate out. Around 3 minutes.
Mix in 1 tablespoon of ground coriander and 1 teaspoon of garam masala, and allow to cook in for another 2 minutes or so.
Remove the Indian bay leaf and the finger chilli (discard or compost them).
At this point, you can use an immersion blender to make the gravy smoother if you want.
Add 125ml (½ cup) of cream, mix well, and leave to cook for another 4 minutes, until oil rises to the surface of the gravy.

Assembly

Add the fried paneer cubes and 1 teaspoon of fenugreek leaves. Stir well, reduce the heat to its lowest setting, and simmer for 5 minutes to heat the cheese.
(In order to get the most flavour from the fenugreek leaves, rub them between your palms as you add them to the gravy. This releases their aromatic oils.)

Finishing

Turn off the heat, taste, stir in 2 tablespoons of butter, and then season with salt if necessary.

Serving

Place into a serving dish, and sprinkle a few chopped coriander leaves over the top, and if desired, a swirl of cream.

Notes

If you don't have Indian bay, leave it out, do not sub Mediterranean bay - it's a completely different beast, and will not work in this recipe!

This recipe was originally published in 2013, and has now been refined and updated.

Nutrition