How To Make Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
An Outlook On Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
Paneer butter masala recipe is a creamy Indian gravy with a shiny spread of butter
There are many Indian dishes which sound so lucrative even in their names. One such delicious dish is this `paneer butter masala.` Anyone will be allured at the very first sight of it and your taste buds will get tantalized, the minute you put it into your mouth.
Basically it is a North Indian dish and from there it slowly spread to other parts of the country and now it is famous all over the world. It is a protein packed vegan dish which goes well with roti and as well as rice. Of all the paneer based dishes `Paneer Butter Masala` is the popular dish which is available from all iconic restaurants to roadside `dhabas` in India.
Specialty Of Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
Its most attractive feature is its creamy look in a lush golden brown colour base with a shiny spread of butter. It is used as an accompaniment for rotis like paratha, naan roti, fulka, kulcha, makki roti, butter naan, wheat roti, chapathi and rice varieties like jeera rice, fried rice, masala rice or plain basmathi rice. Its slight sweet and sour taste, when taken with rice or roti, just gives a combined flavour that instigate us to have more and more of it.
Variations Of Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
There are a number of methods in which it can be prepared with the combination of different ingredients. Each one differ from one another in preparation and as well as in taste though in a subtle way. Moreover, restaurant style is slightly different from home preparation and here I have given the recipe similar to that of restaurant method. Though the basic ingredients are the same, certain add on spices like saffron, cashews and cucumber seeds give a touch of `restaurant type` paneer butter masala.
Let us see the ingredients required to prepare this Masala
Ingredients Required To Make Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
How To Make Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
Take the measured quantities of cashews, cucumber seeds, and saffron in a small bowl and pour some lukewarm water in it.
Let it soak for one hour approximately and keep it aside
Place a pan in the stove and pour a little oil in it and once it is heated add the measured quantities of bay leaf, anise, clove, cinnamon and cardamom to it and roast till you get a nice aroma out of it.
After a minute or two switch off the stove and keep the pan aside.
Let it cool.
Take the measured quantities of onion and tomatoes and cut them into big pieces.
Heat the pan again and keep it in medium flame. Sprinkle a little oil and once it is heated add the onions and mix well.
Let it cook for a minute or two.
When it is roasted, switch of the stove and let it cool for some time.
Simultaneously boil the tomatoes in a bowl of water for a few minutes.
When it cools down, peel off the skin and keep it aside.
Take a mixer jar and add the soaked nuts along with the saffron strands into it after straining the excess water from it.
Blend it into a smooth paste and keep it.
Add the roasted spices in the jar and make a dry powder out of it and keep it too.
Finally, add the roasted onion and boiled tomato into the jar without adding water.
Make a fine paste out of it and transfer it to a bowl.
Heat a pan in the stove and keep it in medium flame.
When it is heated add the measured quantities of butter and cooking oil in it.
When it is heated, just drop a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste into it and stir for a minute.
When a nice flavour comes out of it, add one finely chopped onion into the pan and mix well.
Once it becomes translucent, add the tomato-onion puree which we prepared earlier and mix well.
Keep stirring in medium flame until the raw smell of onion and tomato goes off.
At this stage, add the dry spice powder and mix well.
You will get a nice flavour when it gets cooked for two to three minutes.
Lower the flame as the gravy may splutter.
Here you add the measured quantities of garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder with the required amount of salt and water.
At last, blend in the nutty paste and stir in along with a little water.
Allow the gravy to cook until the butter oozes out from the sides and the raw smell of the masalas go off.
It will take approximately about five to ten minutes to reach this stage.
Now, you add the paneer cubes with a pinch of kasuri methi and adjust the flame to medium mode.
Close it with a lid and let it get cooked for a few minutes. (ten minutes approximately)
After a while just open the lid and when you get the
desired consistency, smear a teaspoon of butter over it along with a teaspoon of fresh cream over it.
Sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves and spring onion and turn off the stove.
Serve it hot with any type of roti or rice as I have mentioned in the beginning.
Useful Tips To Make Delicious Paneer Butter Masala
- Use ripe and full red tomatoes to get the desired gravy texture and colour.
- Cashews give a creamy texture and rich flavour to the gravy and similarly does the cucumber seeds but it is purely optional.
- Likewise, we add a few strands of saffron strands to add richness and you can even do without it.
- Let the paneer cubes be diced evenly to give an appealing look.
- Serve it hot with some onion rings, slit green chilies and tomato slices with a dash of lemon.
Ingredients
Directions
Take the measured quantities of cashews, cucumber seeds, and saffron in a small bowl and pour some lukewarm water in it.
Let it soak for one hour approximately and keep it aside
Place a pan in the stove and pour a little oil in it and once it is heated add the measured quantities of bay leaf, anise, clove, cinnamon and cardamom to it and roast till you get a nice aroma out of it.
After a minute or two switch off the stove and keep the pan aside.
Let it cool.
Take the measured quantities of onion and tomatoes and cut them into big pieces.
Heat the pan again and keep it in medium flame. Sprinkle a little oil and once it is heated add the onions and mix well.
Let it cook for a minute or two.
When it is roasted, switch of the stove and let it cool for some time.
Simultaneously boil the tomatoes in a bowl of water for a few minutes.
When it cools down, peel off the skin and keep it aside.
Take a mixer jar and add the soaked nuts along with the saffron strands into it after straining the excess water from it.
Blend it into a smooth paste and keep it.
Add the roasted spices in the jar and make a dry powder out of it and keep it too.
Finally, add the roasted onion and boiled tomato into the jar without adding water.
Make a fine paste out of it and transfer it to a bowl.
Heat a pan in the stove and keep it in medium flame.
When it is heated add the measured quantities of butter and cooking oil in it.
When it is heated, just drop a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste into it and stir for a minute.
When a nice flavour comes out of it, add one finely chopped onion into the pan and mix well.
Once it becomes translucent, add the tomato-onion puree which we prepared earlier and mix well.
Keep stirring in medium flame until the raw smell of onion and tomato goes off.
At this stage, add the dry spice powder and mix well.
You will get a nice flavour when it gets cooked for two to three minutes.
Lower the flame as the gravy may splutter.
Here you add the measured quantities of garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder with the required amount of salt and water.
At last, blend in the nutty paste and stir in along with a little water.
Allow the gravy to cook until the butter oozes out from the sides and the raw smell of the masalas go off.
It will take approximately about five to ten minutes to reach this stage.
Now, you add the paneer cubes with a pinch of kasuri methi and adjust the flame to medium mode.
Close it with a lid and let it get cooked for a few minutes. (ten minutes approximately)
After a while just open the lid and when you get the
desired consistency, smear a teaspoon of butter over it along with a teaspoon of fresh cream over it.
Sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves and spring onion and turn off the stove.
Serve it hot with any type of roti or rice as I have mentioned in the beginning.
