The word “paneer” is of Persian origin. It is a fresh cheese common in South Asia, especially in Indian, Pakistani, Afghani, and Bangladeshi cuisines.
Requirement: Blender
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the paste
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
Onions – 2 Medium, roughly chopped
Tomatoes – 3, chopped
Salt as required
Garam masala powder – 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder – 3/4 tsp
Cashews – 10 to 12, cut half through it’s center-line
Red chili powder – 3/4 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp or as required
Post Blending
Panner cubes / Cottage cheese (frozen pack) – 250 g
Butter – 1 1/2 tbsp
Cardamom – 3
Cinnamon stick – 2 inch
Cloves – 3
Ginger paste – 3/4 tsp (or ginger-garlic 1 1/2 tsp )
Chili powder – 1/2 tsp
Water – 1/2 cup or as required for consistency
Dried fenugreek leaves / kasoori Methi – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (for garnish)
Cream – 3 tbsp
Directions
1. Heat a large pan with olive oil, fry onions until they turn translucent.
2. Add tomatoes along with salt , cover & cook until they turn mushy for 2-3 minutes on medium.
3. Now, add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, cashews & sugar. Mix well, fry until you see that it doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and let it cool down almost completely before you put it in a blender.
4. Once the above mixture is cooled, pour it into blender with 1 cup of water (add less water initially)and blend till it turns smooth and creamy.
5. After blending, in a deep wok or pan heat butter. To the melted butter add cardamom. cinnamon sticks, cloves & fry for 2 minutes. Add ginger paste, stir again for 15 seconds.
6. Pour the mixture of blended paste puree with red chili powder and water and adjust the consistency of thickness. Cook for nearly 5 minutes on medium. Check for salt, add if necessary.
7. Add paneer, fenugreek leaves. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in cream, stir for a minute. Remove from heat. Add in coriander leaves or more cream if desired when serving.
8. Creamy Paneer butter masala is now gonna make you wanna prepare once more.
Stay Healthy!
