Perhaps one of the premium north indian or punjabi curries if not the king of the paneer curries. it is known for its mildly sweet and spicy taste with the goodness of fresh cream and butter topping with moist paneer. it is one of the most curries for most vegetarians and is prepared for lunch and dinner and served with freshly baked roti, chapati, naan and even a choice of rice.
we always assume that most of the north indian or punjabi curries use the same gravy base with the same technique and hence it must be easy to prepare. this has been one of the stereotypes, especially for the paneer based recipes or curries. perhaps even during my initial days of culinary learning, i use to make all the paneer curries but name it differently as per the occasion. but trust me, there are so many subtle variations and nuances that go to each and every punjabi curry which makes it unique and hence the unique names. for instance, in this recipe of butter paneer, the base is prepared with onion and tomato but is handled differently compared to matar paneer or kadai paneer. in addition, there is a generous amount of butter and fresh cream used which makes it mild sweet and spicy curry. moreover, the spice addition is minimal and hence it is appreciated all over the world and not just in india.
Ingredients
For Masala
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 5 cloves
- 2 pods cardamom
- 2 onion (sliced)
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 3 tomato (sliced)
- 15 cashew
For Curry
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 chilli
- 1/2sp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ¾ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ½ garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp cream
- 16 cubes paneer
- 1 tsp kasuri methi
- 2 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
Recipe
How to make a thick and finger-licking gravy
- Firstly, in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter.
- Add 5 cloves, 2 pods cardamom and saute on low flame until it turns aromatic.
- Now add 2 onion, 2 clove garlic, 1 inch ginger.
- Saute until onions shrink slightly.
- Further add 3 tomato, 15 cashew and saute for 2 minutes.
- Cover and boil for 10 minutes, or until tomato softens.
- Cool completely and transfer to the blender and blend to smooth paste.
- Pass the curry to the filter to get rid of seeds and skin.
- Smooth and silky, the tomato-onion paste is ready. keep aside.
How to infuse the exotic paneer toppings
- Firstly, in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp butter, 1 bay leaf and 1 chilli. saute until the spices turn aromatic.
- Now add 1 onion and saute until onions turn and golden brown.
- Keeping the flame on low, add ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder, ¾ tsp coriander powder, ¼ tsp cumin powder, ½ garam masala and 1 tsp salt.
- Saute until the spices turn aromatic. make sure not to burn the spices.
- Add in prepared onion tomato paste and mix well and cook until the oil separates from the masala paste.
- Now add 1 cup water and mix well adjusting the consistency, further, add in 2 tbsp cream and mix well and add 16 cubes of paneer and mix gently.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the paneer absorbs the flavour.
- Add 1 tsp kasuri methi and 2 tbsp coriander. mix well and thats all!!
You have no idea about the struggle to find paneer when you order Paneer Butter Masala.
Rahul 3:16-17 IST
Finishing, serving and notes
- For a basic meal, the above recipe would suffice, but if you want some extra doses of taste , you may add toppings of fresh cream preferably Amul cream and coriander leaves on top to give it a restaurant like finish.
- Paneer butter Masala tastes great with almost all the supplements be it butter naan , tawa roti , biryani , tandoori roti , kulcha and all. So don't hesitate to try these combos.
- Firstly, make sure to use a generous amount of butter as it enhances the flavour, also, if you are looking for an alternative for cream then you can add curd additionally, cook on medium flame until the oil separates.
