Monday, March 18, 2013

Paneer Butter Masala/ Creamy Curry With Indian Cottage Cheese


          Paneer Butter Masala, a favorite of most kids, a rich creamy dish, and is sure to appear in most party menus. Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese cubes are cooked in a rich blend of spices and is garnished with kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves and a dash of fresh cream, the resulting flavor is simply irresistible. Though the dish looks so rich and delicious, it's actually pretty easy to make it. You can make your own paneer ( the method here ) or use store bought ones, both works very well..

Need To Have

  • Paneer Cubes - 11/2 cups
  • Kasuri Methi - 2 tablespoons
  • Fresh Cream - to garnish
  • Oil & Butter - as needed
  • Salt - to taste

To Grind

  • Onion - 1 medium, chopped
  • Tomatoes - 2 cups, chopped
  • Chopped Ginger - 2 teaspoons
  • Garlic - 5 small cloves
  • Cashews - 2
  • Golden Raisins - 6 small
  • Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
  • Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
  • Cinnamon - 1" piece
  • Cloves - 2
  • Cardamom - 1
  • Javentri - a small piece

Method


          Heat some oil and stir fry the paneer cubes, remove and drain to remove excess oil.


          For the paste, heat a little oil, add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and javentri ( the orange flower like thing in the first picture). When it starts sizzling and the elaichi or cloves pop, add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute for about 2 minutes.


          Now add the tomatoes, saute still it starts turning mushy, then add the turmeric,chilly and coriander powders, mix for a minute, remove and cool.


          Grind this along with the cashews and raisins, now your paste is ready.


          Heat some butter and oil, add the ground paste and salt and saute it well for about 3 minutes, if it sticks, add a little water and keep sauteing.


          Once you get a nice flavor, add the paneer cubes, about  2 cups of water, kasuri methi, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Then remove and add the fresh cream, serve it warm with some rotis or naan.


Note
Sometimes, store bought paneer turns a little rubbery when stir fried, to avoid this soak it in some warm milk after frying, till adding it to the curry.
Since it's paneer butter masala, I've added butter, but you can leave it also, it'll still taste good.
Kasuri Methi is available in all Indian stores.
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36 comments:

  1. This looks really yummy :) very perfectly done and looks do inviting

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  2. Woww.. such a delicious and tempting side dish.. looks absolutely perfect.. thanks for sharing !!

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  3. omg tempting is this dish perfeectly delicious

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  4. Gorgeous no words..jusbsoopperrr color..

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  5. This looks so so yummy! Love the clicks :)

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  6. i had tried paneer butter masala from a cookbook yesterday, turned out a failure. and this recipe seems fairly easier than yesterday's..

    btw hema, you gotta fix the link on paneer making method above..

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  7. Hello,

    OMG! pictures are so good, want to have it with chapati...yummy
    Good night :)

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  8. Irresistible Paneer butter masala, very rich and super creamy.

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  9. Delicious paneer butter masala.

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  10. sounds very flavorful and delicious preparation, i usually add javetri to biryanis...will try it next time...too delicious PB masla..

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  11. Looks so delicious. Hema, what is Javentri? A spice or does this flower add color?

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    Replies
    1. It's a spice Srimathi, not for color, we add a very small piece, the flavor is overpowering

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  12. Rich and delicious gravy.. My favorite. Looks so inviting

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  13. Looking very rich and yum, want to have this right now

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  14. Absolutely creamy & one of those ultimate butter masala versions!!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  15. looks too delicious...can't resist paneer Hema, I love them...just in any form :)

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  16. awesome!! I m trying this for lunch now

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  17. paneer butter masala looks delicious
    i made it in diff way
    and topped it with cheese hehe
    its very heavy dish hema looks so lovely here

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  18. This looks very yummy! Thanks for sharing! I have never heard of javentri - where can I buy this? that's the only ingredient that is missing from my kitchen cupboard to test our your recipe - can I replace it with something else?

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  19. A classic curry that wins my heart everytime i dunk my breads in!

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  20. its lunch time n utempting vth paneer.oh god..hema..dis abs finger licking..

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  21. looks like restaurant made dear.. fabulous..

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  22. looks perfect and delicious..

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  23. Delicious curry! My husband would love that one.

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  24. I'd like to try that for dinner with my friends. Thanks!

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  25. Your recipe is looks awsme, you give the easiest way to prepare this recipe, from your recipe tips many people gets advantage. Regards, Paneer Butter Masala

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