Where do I begin! Growing up as a kid in Bangalore, Paneer or Cottage cheese wasn’t something that was available in shops till around the 2000s I recall. Every time my mother made it at home, we never had leftovers, my brother and I were growing kids! We loved the taste, we used to ask for it almost every other weekend!
The one Indian or Desi dish, that is universally popular all round the world. I’ve had it in restaurants, I’ve had it in so many houses and so many takes on this recipe.
This is my recipe or take on it, it really doesn’t take long to make. The aroma though is heavenly. Whenever this is made, the aroma spreads throughout the house, even before the dish is ready. It is really inviting a smell or aroma! I’m writing about it now and I’m craving it so bad! There are 6-7 of us here, I made this for dinner. We had it with fresh whole wheat roti’s. This can be easily eaten with rice as well.
When you are buying the paneer, buy something that feels firm, you can use tofu paneer if you prefer a vegan version.
Do try following my Garam Masala recipe! The taste would be just like this, I promise you. Do let me know in the comments below if you make the recipe! Thumbs up if you like it.
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Paneer Butter Masala
Where do I begin! Growing up as a kid in Bangalore, Paneer or Cottage cheese wasn’t something that was available in shops till around the 2000s I recall. Every time my mother made it at home, we never had leftovers, my brother and I were growing kids! We loved the taste, we used to ask for it almost every other weekend!
Ingredients
- 4 ripe red tomatoes
- 3 medium sized onions
- 1 teaspoon of ginger paste or ginger garlic paste
- 200 grams of Tofu or Soya Paneer or normal Paneer or Cottage Cheese
- 4 tablespoons of oil
- Salt per taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon of Garam Masala
- 1 cup of washed peas
- 2 tablespoons of Kasuri Methi or Dried Fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- Handful of fresh coriander or cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon of Everest Raw Mango or Aamchur Powder
- 1 tablespoon of cooking butter
Instructions
Steps for making Paneer Butter Masala
- You need to cut 4 ripe red tomatoes, remove the tips and cut them into chunks
- Next you need to roughly chop 3 medium sized onions
- In a mixer jar add handfuls of the tomato and onion at a time, do not over load it.
- Add a splash of water
- Since I usually don’t cook with garlic, I have used a teaspoon of ginger paste
- Mix using a mixer till no chunks remain
- I have added this 3 times in the mixer to get this quantity, add a splash of water after adding the ingredients
- Transfer to the kadai or pot that you are going to cook the curry in
- I have used Tofu or Soya Paneer for this recipe, you can add normal paneer or cottage cheese instead
- Wash and pat dry it carefully
- While cutting the paneer or tofu paneer, keep the size equal always, that way it cooks more uniformly
- Turn the flame or heat on and add the kadai or pot with the tomato, ginger, onion puree
- Add 4 tablespoons of oil to this and mix
- Next add salt per taste
- Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- Mix all the ingredients, keep the flame in high and cover it with the lid
- Let it cook for around 2 minutes
- Remove the lid and stir
- Add half a teaspoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder and mix, cover and let it simmer for a while
- Stir all the ingredients again remove anything that is sticking to the sides of the pot
- Add a tablespoon of garam masala and mix again I have a recipe for fresh Garam Masala do take a look
- Put the lid on and let it simmer again
- Remove the lid and add a cup of washed peas
- Next add 2 tablespoons of Kasuri Methi or Dried Fenugreek Leaves and mix again
- Put the lid on yet again and let it simmer
- Next add a teaspoon of sugar and mix
- Next, add the cut paneer or tofu paneer to this and stir gently, cover it with the lid and let it simmer for 2 minutes
- Add some fresh coriander or cilantro and mix, leave some for garnishing
- Add 1/2 a teaspoon of Everest Raw Mango or Aamchur Powder and mix again
- Simmer it for around 2 more minutes
- Taste a little bit and see if the salt is enough
- I added a little more
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter at the end, stir it for another 2 minutes and then it is ready to serve
- Add the remainder fresh coriander or cilantro and turn the heat off
- The Paneer Mattar Masala is now ready to serve
- Enjoy with fresh roti, naan or kulcha. It tastes amazing with rice as well!
