Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala

This is one of my son’s favorite dish.

Ingredients 

Medium onion -1

Tomatoes -3

Green chilly – 3 small

Garlic- 2 cloves

Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon

Jeera powder – 1 tablespoon

Red chili powder – 1/4 tablespoon

Butter – small quantity

Milk  or fresh cream 1/2 cup

Paneer( Indian cheese)

olive oil

Salt to taste

Water-1/2 cup

Fresh cilantro

 

Step-1

Chop up one medium onion along with 2 clove’s of garlic, 3 small green chilies. Take a medium pan and pour olive oil, when oil is hot put the chopped up onion, garlic and green chilies and sauté them till onion turn’s golden color. Keeping medium flame.

Step-2

Add chopped up tomatoes to the pan. Keep the flame in medium and cover the pan with a lid in order to lock moisture and cook onion and tomatoes. This helps to cook down the tomatoes and onion quickly. This is a gravy based item, the better the onion and tomatoes cook down, you will get a good thick gravy.

Step-3

Once onion and tomatoes are cooked well, you could add a tablespoon of coriander powder, jeera powder and 1/4 tablespoon of red chili powder. Red chilly powder is for some taste and color for your gravy. Remember you have added 3 green chilies. If you think it’s too spicy, you could reduce the green chilies.  Add little bit of water to this mixture at this time, because the masala will start sticking to the pan at this time.

Step-4

Once the Masala is well cooked, like the picture below, switch off and allow it to cool, so you could blend it into a puree, pour some water into the mixture and blend it into a smooth paste.

Step-5

This is Indian cheese(Paneer), you could get this in an Indian store. There are several brands you will get, I like Nanak Paneer and the one below.

Step-6

This is how the paneer looks when you open the package. you could slice them across and slice them down into cubes. If you are making for two people, you only need half of the paneer bar.

Step-7

I have chopped the paneer down, into small cubes. Since you only need half for two people, I usually save the rest cubed paneer by putting them in a zip lock bag and freezing them for future use.

Step-8

Take a pan with some olive oil and when pan heat’s up, put the cubed paneer into the pan and sauté them till the paneer change color, like a light golden color.

Step-9

Once the paneer change’s color you can pour the masala mixture you have blended into a fine paste into the pan, beware that the pan will sizzle, when the liquid hits the pan. Pour some milk or fresh cream into the mixture along with the water in your cup in order to dilute the mixture. Add small quantity of butter. Allow the mixture to come to a boil.

Caution: Don’t pour too much water into the mixture.

Step-10

Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with chapattis, Naan or Rice.