Paneer Butter Masala ( the Easy and Healthy way )

Paneer Butter Masala is a very rich Indian Vegetarian dish made with Paneer ( Indian Cottage Cheese ). Marinated Paneer is cooked in a spicy, smooth and creamy red-colored tomato-based gravy. It’s the vegetarian version of Chicken Tikka Masala and the most frequent dish to order in an Indian restaurant just after Chicken tikka masala. It’s a bit higher on the calorie scale as the recipe uses lots of cream and butter. It makes this particular dish more appropriate for occasional treats.

Today I will share the recipe of Paneer Butter Masala that you can include it in your everyday menu. Basically, my version of Paneer butter masala gives you the same creamy texture of the Restaurant’s recipe but with lesser fat. Instead of butter, I used here Canola Oil and replaced the cream with milk. Not only it’s a healthy version of actual Paneer Butter Masala, but it’s an easy and fast recipe. Trust me it involves very little effort and needs about 20 minutes to complete the dish.

Paneer Butter Masala pairs very well with most of the Indian Bread like Phulkas, Naan, Tandoori Roti, Paratha etc. as well as with some Rice dishes like  Pulao, Jeera Rice or even with plain rice. 

Recipe Of Paneer Butter Masala:

Ingredients:

Paneer: 200g, cut into small cubes (for best result use homemade Paneer or Haldiram's Malai Paneer)
Oil (or Butter) : 2 tablespoons + 3 tablespoons
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Green Cardamoms: 3 
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch 
Cloves: 3 
Tomatoes: 2 large, make it puree 
Green Chili: 1 paste
Ginger paste: 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
Kashmiri Red chili powder: 1 teaspoon 
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon 
Cashew paste: 2 tablespoons 
Milk: one cup or as needed. 
Crushed Dry Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi): 1/4 teaspoon 
Salt: as needed 
Sugar: one teaspoon or to taste 

Method:

1. sprinkle salt over the paneer pieces. Toss gently and set it aside. Take a pan, add oil to it and heat it up. Lightly fry the paneer pieces until they are golden color on both sides. Once they are done, set it aside. 

2. Add the remaining oil to the pan, add fenugreek seeds. Once aroma comes up, either you can discard the fenugreek seeds from the oil or keep it as it is. But don't burn it. It will taste bitter if it is burnt. 

3. Add green cardamoms, cinnamon stick and cloves to the oil. Once it sizzles, add garlic paste, ginger paste, and green chili paste. Fry it until raw smell goes off. 

4. Add tomato puree to the pan. Stir it and cook for a couple of minutes. Once it becomes thick and the oil starts to come up from the sides of the pan, add Kashmiri red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir and cook it for another couple of minutes. 

5. Add the cashew paste to the pan. Stir it to mix it nicely. Cook it again until oil separates from the spice mixture. Add salt and sugar. Add the crushed fenugreek leaves. 

6. Add a cup of milk. You can add little more or less milk as per your desired consistency. 

7. Once the gravy starts to boil, lower the flame and add fried paneer pieces to the gravy.  Stir gently and cover the pan. Let it simmer for another 7 to 8 minutes. Check the seasoning, add salt and sugar if needed. Once the gravy reaches your desired consistency switch off the gas. Paneer Butter Masala is ready. Garnish it with chopped Coriander and serve hot with your choice of Indian bread or Rice preparation.

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