When it comes to Indian Vegetarian cuisine; paneer aka cottage cheese is an absolute favorite. This paneer butter masala recipe is so creamy and delicious; it will leave you licking your fingers. The heat from the spices and the creaminess of cashews and heavy cream make this dish so flavorful and rich. Best enjoyed with flavored rice and/or buttery garlicky naan bread😋
Cooking Tips for Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
Marinating the cottage cheese cubes for 15 mins makes the paneer more flavorful and marination seeps in a bit
Shallow frying the cottage cheese cubes to ensure that they don’t break when cooked in the gravy
Brand recommendation for paneer is in Canada? Brar’s, it’s my absolute favorite and is perfect for this recipe and anything else I cook in my kitchen
You can use coconut cream instead of heavy cream if you prefer one over the other. It will still be a delight to eat this recipe
Easy Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
Ingredients
- 375 gm Paneer aka Cottage Cheese
- 3 Tomatoes medium size
- 1 Onion
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 5-6 tbsp Heavy Cream sub for coconut cream if you prefer
- Handful of cashews
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger paste or a small piece of ginger
- salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp tikka spice powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 4 tbsp Ghee
Instructions
HOW TO MARINATE:
- In a bowl; add chili powder, tikka spice powder, salt, pepper and 2 Tbsp heavy cream. Cut cottage cheese into medium-sized cubes and coat them evenly with the spice and cream mix. Let it marinate for 15mins
PROCESS:
- Place a pan on medium-high heat; add 2 Tbsp clarified butter, roughly chopped garlic, ginger, and onions. Sauté for 5 mins until onions turn slightly golden brown. Add in half of the cashews and sauté for 1-2 mins
- Add in roughly chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin powder, and garam masala. Let it cook till tomatoes start to break down a bit, takes about 7-8 mins. Add in tomato paste and a bit of water and let it cook for a minute or two. Turn the gas off and let it cool down a bit
- While the mixture cools; place a separate pan on medium heat, add in the rest of the clarified butter and place marinated cottage cheese pieces. Crisp for 3-4 minutes on each side till it looks reddish color on both sides. Keep them aside on a plate. Be gentle to not break the cottage cheese pieces and don’t discard the remaining marinade. Sauté the remaining cashews in the same pan
- Once the onion-tomato mixture has cooled down; add to the blender along with 100 ml of water. Feel free to add more if the consistency doesn’t feel right. Once the paste looks smooth and creamy, add it back to the same pan on medium-high heat again
- Add the remaining marinade from the cottage cheese marination into the puréed masala. Add the rest of the cream along with it. Mix well and let the butter masala cook for 8-10 mins. Taste, adjust the spices and add more cream if needed. Once done add cottage cheese and fried cashews to the mix and let it sit for 4-5 mins. Turn the gas off and let sit for another a minute or so before serving
Serving:
- Serve on a bed of rice or with some garlic butter naan!
Nutrition
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♥ Gurleen
