Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala is a very popular Punjabi dish. Gravy is made by using butter, onions, tomatoes and cashew paste.

This dish goes very well with all types of Indian breads like Parathas, Naan or Poori.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Paneer cut in triangular pieces
• 1 cup Tomato pureed
• 1 big onion pureed
• 2 Green chili
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 5-6 tbsp Butter
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi)
• 1 tsp Red chili Powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
• ¼ cup cashew paste
• ¼ cup Fresh Cream
• ½ tsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Lemon juice
• Fresh coriander leaves chopped

Method:

• Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the paneer pieces till golden brown. Now take 1 cup hot water, add a pinch of salt and immerse the paneer cubes in it for 10-12 minutes. Then remove the pieces, drain them on a tissue paper and keep aside.
• Heat 4 tbsp of butter in a pan, add the bay leaf and the cloves, and then add the onion paste and sauté till light-brown.
• Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add tomato puree, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt followed by the cashew paste and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add one cup of water.
• Once the gravy starts boiling, add the paneer pieces and reduce the heat. Add kasuri methi, sugar and lemon juice. Let it simmer on medium heat till you get the desired curry consistency.
• Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter and fresh cream.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve with any Indian Flat Bread of your choice like Lachcha Paratha or simply Jeera Rice.

Do You Know?

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It consists of butterfat, water and milk proteins.

Butter’s pleasant flavor is made up of many volatiles and nonvolatile compounds. It gives a distinctive flavor to all kinds of prepared foods and helps in the uniform distribution of flavorings.

Lecithin present in the butter helps in stabilizing fat emulsions, leading to the uniformity of texture, aroma and flavor in baked foods.