Paneer Butter Masala / Paneer Makhanwala
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I had blogged the Paneer Butter Masala 2 years ago but it was too amateur-ish, post wise and photos wise, that I had to re-do and re-vamp the whole post. THereford, I have deleted the older post and created the new one.
Paneer Makhanwala is a rich rich rich curry and oh-so-easy to put together. It doesn’t need a long list of ingredients either as compared to other curries. It is a very popular restaurant dish, and often finds its place on the top of the vegetarian menu.
Over the years of making it, I have sort of mastered this dish that I don’t have to think twice to make it when family demands. I honestly don’t know how the restaurants make it but my family always raves that my Paneer Butter Masala is way much better than the restaurant one. So this is completely home-style paneer butter masala and better than the restaurants! 😉
The tomatoes are blended with cashews and garlic and then cooked with few spieces, cream and honey. Paneer is added towards the end to complete the curry.
This is how I make it! And bookmark this recipe, since it is a no fail, fool proof, tested and tried, a many times recipe. Whoever has ever tried it, has come back with smashing reviews.
Paneer Butter Masala / Paneer Makhanwala
Kitchen Equipments Required
Chopping board, knife, Heavy bottom pan with lid, stirring spoon, blender.
Ingredients
Tomatoes – 4 large or 5 medium ripe tomatoes, finely chopped.
Paneer – 250 to 300 gms
Garlic – 4 pods minced fine
Ginger – a small piece
Cashews – 20. Soak the cashews for 1/2 hr in warm water.
Oil & Spices
Butter – 1&1/2 tbsp
Red chilli powder : 1/4 tsp
Garam masala : 1/2 -1 tsp or to taste
Kashmiri Lal Mirch or Degi Mirch or Fancy Paprika – 1 tsp, optional.
Kasoori Methi : 1 tsp
Cream : 1/4 cup
Honey – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water : 1&1/4 cup
Method
- Take the blender, add soaked cashews, chopped tomatoes, ginger and garlic to it and make a fine paste out of it.
- Heat the butter in the pan on medium heat.
- Add the pureed tomatoes to the melted butter.
- Cook it on medium low flame till water is evaporated.
- Now add cream, kasoori Methi, spices and honey to the paste. Add 1&1/4 cup water or more to desired consistency.
- Cover with lid and simmer on medium flame for about 10-12 minutes.
- Add cubed paneer pieces and cook further for 5-7 minutes on medium flame. Adjust the seasoning if required.
Notes
- You may adjust the water quantity to the desired consistency.
- You may cook the curry thick and freeze for later use.
- For parties, the curry can be cooked a day in advance and heat and serve the next day.
- You may deep fry or shallow fry the paneer pieces before adding to the curry.
- You may add other vegetables or koftas or boiled eggs to this curry.
Paneer Butter Masala or Paneer Makhanwala is ready in my Indian American Kitchen. Enjoy it warm with naan, roti, rice or even a crusty bread in your kitchen!
Have a great Makhanwala day !
Sonal
Rich creamy with beautiful colour n aroma .loved the recipe
Thank you
Thanks Meera 🙂
Lovely recipe and beautiful pictures Sonal. I make the curry for PB masala in two ways, but yours sounds easier and interesting too. Will try and let you know.
I have to try this it sound amazing! Paneer cheese is one of my favourite parts of Indian food and this looks like a perfect way to eat it! 🙂
Thank you Petra ❤️
Me ha impresionado tu receta, es tan buena! es difícil conseguir en España estos ingredientes, me quedo por tu blog para no perderme ninguna receta.
Saludos.
Absolutely delicious. Your clicks made me to crave for it. Amazing photography.
Thank you so much
Looks nice! Though didnt see when to add salt!
When it says to add spices that includes salt 🙂
Beautiful, love this dish, I probably tried the recipe from your other post before. Do you ever try pan frying your paneer before you add it to the curry Sonal? I tried that once, and had it sputtering all over the stove, tres annoying! I’ll try adding it without, but thought it would add additional flavor if pan fried in a little ghee. I don’t have any cream in my refrigerator, but I did also see that Naina also posted a similar recipe on paneer, and she used sour cream which I have in the refrigerator. I’ll be making this tonight. I think you and Suzanne have a great idea above, it would be nice to try something like that with fellow bloggers. 🙂
Loretta
Thank you so much :).
Often I skip fresh cream to make it more healthier.. Honestly, with the cashew paste, cream is really not that required. The taste is still awesome!! You may use sour cream and it makes a fantastic substitute.
As far as pan frying the paneer goes, th market bought one does splutter a lot. Sometimes I roll the paneer pieces in very little corn starch/flour and then pan fry or bake in the oven. Baking, though makes it little chewy . Or after cutting the paneer into cubes, pat it really dry with paper towel & then pan fry.
I am glad that you read the conversation between Suzanne and I. Are you game for it? Let’s sweat over the idea and plan on it .
Thanks for those tips Sonal. I did make it yesterday without the pan fry and it turned out just great. I’ll be posting about it soon. Brilliant idea that you and Suzanne are concocting, you can be the main chef with us as your underlings. You can then guide us, and we can try to replicate whatever it is that is being featured? For instance, I’d love to learn how to make stuffed parathas, or rotis/chapatis etc. I did make the stuffed once and it turned out great, but would love more tips on the process. Just an example.
Loretta
Nah not the main chef…recipe swapper and may be we all can take turns per week to teach our specialities and cook together
Always tasty, I love it Sonal. The pictures are superb! 🙂
Muaah Linda ❤️
Of course your version is better than the restaurants! I don’t doubt that for a minute. 🙂
❤️
Sonal, loved this recipe. I am pinning this one and trying it out ASAP. I do make a lot of North Indian dishes during winters here, but the blending of tomatoes along with the cashews is an interesting step that I have never tried. Also adding honey has got me intrigued. I want to taste this dish now. And the pictures are no less tempting .
Awww you are a sweetheart Uma! ❤️
Awesome pics and liked the easy peasy method. You make cooking so easy with your new innovative ideas. I enjoy cooking by your method.
Awww thanks so much Hiral! You are a sweetheart!❤️
Beautiful pictures and post!!
Thank you
Gorgeous pictures Sonal .. Lovd the simplicity of the recipe too … Please add this to the list too for my ladoo
Added
This is gorgeous Sonal. it’s funny when I saw the notification come in I read it as Peanut butter masala and I thought wow, that sounds really different, then of course I re read and saw it’s paneer. It looks incrediblly delicious and this is another one I have to make. I would like to devote a week to just your recipes on my blog and have you do a guest post, would you do that? I would like to cook with you albeit long distance not sure how we could do that but I would like to think about how to do that.
Peanut Butter Masala…well you gave me food for thought ;). Will ponder upon it to try something around it.
Thank you sooooo much for your appreciation! I would absolutely love to do a guest post for you!!
You are too kind Suzanne :). Lately, I had been thinking of doing some ingredient exchange or recipe swap thing/theme with fellow bloggers….and may be link or tag… May be we should pick up a recipe together…bunch of us and do out versions on it….like a group of cooks/chefs…
Let me know what you think about it and I am sure that we can work around it :).
Yes I like that idea. We should work on fine tuning the idea!! It would be so much fun!!
I bet! I am excited 🙂
Sounds like you guys are cooking up something fab!
This dish looks gorgeous Sonal 🙂
and you have to join the wagon Elaine!!
Sounds good to me, thank you xx
How funny, I read peanut butter too!!
That’s so funny I could have sworn that’s what it was LOL!!