Butter Paneer Masala
Butter Paneer Masala - rich creamy tomato based curry with soft paneer, flavored with delicate spices makes one of the most comforting vegetarian curries of all time!!
Servings: 5
Ingredients
Gravy Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Amul Butter if amul butter is not available, use salted stick butter, use vegan butter or oil for dairy-free option
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 4 Cloves
- 4 Whole Peppercorn
- ¾ large Yellow Onion, thick sliced
- 4 clove Garlic, sliced
- 1 tbsp Ginger, sliced
- 1 Fresh Hot Red Chili if fresh is not available, use whole dry red chili (I would use only 1 since the one I have is very spicy), if you have mild one use 2
- ½ cup Raw Cashews
- 4 Medium Vine Tomatoes, cubes
- ¼ cup Tomato Paste
- 3 cup Water
Other
- 14 oz Paneer use extra firm tofu or mushrooms for dairy-free option
- 4-5 tbsp Amul Butter if amul butter is not available, use salted stick butter, use vegan butter or oil for dairy-free option
- 2 tbsp Honey use maple syrup for vegan option
- 2 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Dry Kasuri Methi measure 3 tbsp before crushing it between your palms
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream use cashew cream for dairy-free option
Instructions
Make the gravy
- Heat 2 tbsp butter in a wide deep pan.
- Once melted, add whole spices cloves, peppercorn, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamom, bay leaf, garlic, ginger, fresh red hot chili (or dry whole red chili). Saute them till fragrant.
- Add sliced onions along with 1 tsp salt and ½ cup of cashew. Mix well and Saute on medium heat for 2-4 minutes until onions start to soften, making sure it does not burn or get brown.
- Add cubed tomatoes and saute for few minutes.
- Add tomato paste and mix well.
- Add 3 cups of water and mix well.
- Cover the pan and cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are completely soften, this step should take 10 minutes or so. The liquid in the pot should thicken a little and decrease in amount.
- Turn the heat off and Let it cool down for few minutes. Discard bay leaf, cinnamon stick and black cardamom from the pan. Make a smooth paste using a blander. Keep the gravy aside.
Make butter paneer masala
- Heat 4-5 tbsp of butter in a non stick pan, non-stick will help sautéing the paneer without sticking to the pan.
- Add cubed paneer to melted butter and saute on low/medium heat until they get golden brown on all side flipping/turning the cubes every now and then.
- Once the paneer is golden brown, turn the heat to low.
- Add kashmiri red chili powder and garam masala to the pan, quickly stir to avoid burning the spices and immediately add prepared gravy.
- Add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of honey to the pot. Rub dry kasuri methi between your palms to make fine powder and add it to the pot. Mix well.
- Mix gently to avoid breaking the paneer.
- Taste for salt and honey, add another 1 tbsp of honey if needed (the sweetness of this gravy is based on sweetness of tomatoes, adding 1 tbsp honey at a time is a good way to control the sweetness). Add more salt if needed.
- If the gravy seems too thick, add little water and mix to get desired consistency. Once the gravy starts to simmer, add 2 tbsp of heavy cream or more based on your preference. Stir gently and turn the heat off.
- Serve it hot with naan or jeera rice with side of crunchy veggies/kachumber!!
Notes
These are some substitute options for raw cashews : pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds (magajtari), tahini or coconut cream. Oat milk and oat paste (made by soaking plain oats in milk/water and making paste) makes a great cashew substitute as well!