Paneer butter masala/paneer makhni

Paneer butter masala or paneer makhni is a traditional Punjabi recipe in which soft pieces of paneer are cooked in rich creamy butter and tomato gravy. It is one of the most popular dishes found in Indian restaurants. It's creamy, flavorful and tastes super delicious!! It goes well with butter Nan, roti or plain basmati rice. The looks of this dish are exotic and tastes yummy. So let's know how to make it.

Preparation time : 10 mins

Cooking time : 35 mins

Servings : 3-4

Ingredients needed :

1.) Paneer - 250gms, cut in cubes

2.) Tomatoes - 6-7 Large roughly chopped

3.) Onion - 1 Large thinly sliced

4.) Cashews - 8-10

5.) Bayleaf/Tejpatta - 1 small

6.) Cinnamon stick/ dalchini - 1 inch piece

7.) Green cardamon /choti hari elaichi - 5-6

8.) Kashmiri lal Mirch powder - 1 tablespoon

9.) Salt - as per taste

10.) Butter - 3 tablespoon

11.) Fresh coriander leaves - few chopped (for garnishing)

12.) Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon

13.) Turmeric powder/haldi powder - 1 teaspoon

14.) Ginger/Adrak - 1/2 inch piece

15.) Garlic/lehsun - 3-4 cloves

16.) Coriander powder/ Dhaniya powder - 1 teaspoon

17.) Fenugreek leaves/ kasuri methi - 1 tablespoon crushed

18.) Fresh cream - 2 tablespoon 

Method of Preparation :

1.) Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan and then add grated ginger followed by dry spices (cinnamon stick, green cardamon, bayleaf). Saute it for 1 min (Dry spices release their oil and aroma in the butter which gives a pleasant smell). Then add sliced onion, green chillies, garlic, tomatoes and cashews.

Note: (if you wish, you can even soak cashews in little water and then grind it in a mixer to get a cashew paste and then add it in tomato gravy).

2.) Add 1 teaspoon of salt along with one cup of water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15-20 mins till the mixture becomes soft.

3.) Transfer the mixture to a blender and make a smooth fine paste. You can pass the mixture through a sieve to remove seeds and skin of tomatoes.

4.) Again heat with 1 tablespoon of butter and add paneer cubes into the pan. Fry it for 2-3 mins till the colour changes to light golden brown. 

5.) In the same pan add Kashmiri red chilli powder and fry it for few seconds. This will give nice colour to the gravy. Add the onion tomato paste to the pan and mix it with red chilli powder and cook for couple of minutes.

6.) Now add all the powdered spices ( coriander powder, haldi powder, salt, garam masala powder) to the mixture and cook it for few mins.

7.) Finally add fried paneer cubes to the mixture.

(Note : you can add little bit of sugar or honey which will give nice sweet taste to the gravy, it's totally optional i didn't like my gravy sweet so haven't added sugar).

8.) Now add cream to the gravy and mix everything well. Cream will give richness to the gavy. If you want to skip it you can add little bit of milk instead. Sprinkle some dry fenugreek leaves and cook it for 3-4 mins on medium flame.

9.) Paneer butter masala is ready. You can garnish it with chopped coriander leaves, drizzle cream over it. Serve it hot with Indian breads like garlic naan, laughs paratha, roti or rice. Enjoy !!!.

Thank you for reading. Enjoy more recipes on my blog and please comment below each recipes for feedback/suggestions. Till then happy cooking 👍😊.