Paneer Butter Chilli Masala Recipe

Ingredients For Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
1 Large Onion
2 Large Tomatoes
250 Gram Paneer, cut in cubes
4-5 Cloves of Garlic
~1 inch Ginger
15-20 Cashews, soaked in water
1 Tablespoon Cream
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
2-3 Green Cardamoms (Choti Hari Elaichi)
~1 Inch Stick of Cinnamon (Dalchini)
3-4 Cloves (Laung)
1 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)
1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
2 Teaspoons Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Teaspoon Salt or as per taste
1 Teaspoon Sugar or 1 Teaspoon Honey, optional
1 Tablespoon Crushed Dry Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi)

Step By Step Instructions for Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a pan. Add Cumin Seeds and fry them on low heat till they start to splutter.

Add Green Cardamom (Choti Elaichi), Cinnamon (Dalchini) and Cloves (Laung) to butter. Fry on low flame them for a minute.

Add Chopped Ginger and Garlic Cloves to the pan and cook for a minute.

Add chopped onions and fry them till they turn translucent. There is no need to brown the onions.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook them till they become soft.

Add cashews to the mixture. If you want you can roast the cashews separately before adding them.

Add 1 teaspoon Salt along with 1 Cup of water.

Cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes till the mixture becomes soft.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and make a smooth fine paste. You can pass the paste through a sieve to remove the skin of the tomatoes and any other chunks.

Again heat 1 tablespoon Butter in a pan and add a Bay Leaf (Tej Patta) and Red Chilli Powder to it. Fry it for a few seconds. This will give a nice color to the gravy.

Add the onion tomato paste to the pan and mix it with the red chilli powder. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add Garam Masala, Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder) and Turmeric Powder (Haldi) to the mixture.

Also add some Sugar to the gravy. Adding Sugar is optional but it gives a nice taste to the gravy. You can also replace Sugar with honey.

Now add cream to the gravy and mix everything well. The cream will give a richness to the gravy. If you want to skip it you can use a little bit of milk instead.

Sprinkle some crushed Dry Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi). Finally add the Paneer Cubes and cook everything for 3-4 minutes. If you want you can fry the Paneer cubes very slightly before adding them.

Paneer Butter Masala is ready. You can garnish it with chopped Coriander, shredded Paneer or a drizzle of Cream. Serve it hot with any Indian Bread like Naan, Missi Roti, Lachha Parantha.