Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe - Restaurant style

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paneer butter masala
Paneer Butter Masala is my most favorite gravy and we always order this whenever we visit any North Indian restaurant. Well I know that I have mentioned this for several North Indian veggies but if I am asked to choose only one then it would be Paneer Butter Masala.I love it a lot and usually  order kulchas with it. Kulcha or Butter Naan and paneer butter masala is a hit combo, in my view.
paneer butter masala
Butter Chicken is the most popular gravy in and outside India and while it's a treat for non vegetarians, this  Paneer Butter Masala is prepared on similar lines and is definitely the king of dishes for the vegetarians.I am sure most of us love paneer based recipes  and we are no exception.DH is a big fan of paneer and hence it is mandatory to prepare at least one paneer recipe in any form.Paneer is also a good source of proteins for vegetarians.
paneer butter masala
In my earlier post on Paneer Makhani, I have highlighted a few differences between Paneer Makhani and Paneer Butter Masala.While the ingredients that are used in both the gravies are almost similar,the cooking procedure and the quantity of ingredients varies and this is what makes them taste different. This is an ideal recipe for parties, so dont miss preparing this restaurant style paneer butter masala at home.This recipe has a bit of fat and may not be ideal for calorie conscious one's but one can reduce the fatty content by replacing cream with milk and also the butter quantity. One would have to compromise on the taste though.
paneer butter masala
In case you are interested check out  Paneer recipes both dry sabzi and gravy varieties in my blog - Kadai Paneer, Palak Paneer, Paneer Jalfrezi , Paneer Bhurji, Matar Paneer, simple Paneer Sabzi, Paneer Makhani and Grilled Corn-Palak Paneer.

If you like sweets try this easy Paneer Modak Peda recipe. Its simple and yumm!!
paneer butter masala

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe - Restaurant style:
Serves 3-4
Preparation time:10 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time:40 mins
Cuisine:Punjabi-India | Category:Side dish - Main Course

Ingredients:
200 gms Homemade Paneer (Cottage cheese) (or store bought)
2 medium Onions
3 large Tomatoes
6-8 Cashew nuts
1/3 cup Milk or 1/4 cup Cream
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Red chili powder
1/2 tsp roasted Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Home made Garam masala(or 1/2 tsp store bought)
a tiny pinch of Turmeric powder
2 tsp Kasuri Methi
1/4-1/2 tsp Sugar
1 small Green chilli,thinly slit
1 tbsp Coriander leaves,to garnish
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Butter

Method:
  • Cut paneer into triangle pieces of 1/2" depth.Immerse them in warm water until its usage.
  • Soak cashew nuts in warm milk for some time.Grind it to a smooth paste along with the milk.If you want to use cream,grind the cashew nuts with a couple of table spoons of milk.
  • Make a cross on tomatoes and blanch them in hot water for 3-4 mins.Remove them and let them slightly cool.Peel the skin and remove the eyes of tomato and chop into pieces and grind it to a smooth puree.
  • Grind chopped onions with ginger garlic paste to a slightly coarse or smooth paste.
  • Heat oil and 1 tbsp butter and add slit green chilli,onion-ginger garlic paste mixture and fry well until it turns slight brown and the raw smell goes away.
  • Add pureed tomato and fry constantly for 6-8 mins over medium heat until the mixture becomes really thick and oil separates.This step is important to get a deep red color to the gravy and also it enhances the taste of it.So fry the tomato mixture until it leaves the pan and take care that you would not burn the masala in any stage.
  • Add roasted cumin powder,sugar,coriander powder,red chili powder and turmeric powder fry well again for 2-3 mins.
  • Add 1 cup of water and boil it for 6-8 mins till the oil separates and the gravy dries up to a thick masala gravy.
  • Remove the kadai from flame and add the ground cashewnut- milk mixture(if you are using cream,add it now).Add kasuri methi,salt and garam masala and give a stir.
  • Return the kadai back on to the burner and keep mixing on low flame and let it come to a boil for 2 mins.
  • Add butter and paneer slices (dipped in warm water) and cook for 2-3 mins stirring continuously.
Serve hot with flat breads like Naan/Roti/Kulcha or Jeera rice/Bagara Rice.

paneer butter masala
Notes:
  1. You can add a tiny pinch of  red food color to the gravy along with the masalas.I don't like to use food colors and hence I did not add it.
  2. The addition of sugar and milk(cream) helps in neutralizing the sourness from tomatoes.So do not miss it.
  3. You can toss few onion rings and capsicum rings in butter and add along with paneer slices at the end.
  4. You can even toss paneer slices in butter for few minutes,do not fry for long otherwise they will become tough.As I like to use soft malai paneer I do not like to toss them as I feel they will loose their texture.
  5. For a vegan version,replace paneer with tofu.Avoid cream,milk and butter.Increase the quantity of cashew nuts in the recipe and follow the same process.
paneer butter masala

71 comments:

great-secret-of-life said...

looks creamy and yummy.. I love to have it with roti

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Paneer butter masala looks so inviting! Great pics.
Deepa

FewMinute Wonders said...

Holy cow, it looks so yummy.

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

this looks divine.

Vimitha Durai said...

Rich creamy n yum

Rumana Rawat said...

Yumm.. And awesome clicks..

Akila said...

Looks so inviting

Sona said...

Paneer butter masala looks very delicious and creamy.

lubnakarim06 said...

Yummy Pics...I too make it in a much similar way....I add few paneer pieces while pureeing tomatoes...this gives good texture to the gravy....One of my favorite...Now you have taken me back to Bangalore....craving for this...

Indian Khana said...

You are tempting me in such a wrong time ....I make in similar way too and drooling right now ....fab pics ...

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

Lovely and creamy paneer butter masala. Makes me drool

Chitrangada said...

What a tempting look. Nice clicks.

Shashi at SavorySpin said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures! So glad to have stumbled on your blog - paneer looks amazing

virunthu unna vaanga said...

wow superb tempting masala... love it Prathy...

divya said...

drooling !!!

Priya Suresh said...

Omg, cant stop myself drooling here, such a beautiful dish, vibrant.

Unknown said...

looks yummy.. nice color.. !! Lovely clicks

sneh said...

I can have it right now! lovely pictures!

Savi-Ruchi said...

so rich & creamy! You are very true about paneer. It is an absolute relish for vegetarians :)

Unknown said...

wat s dis Coriander powder, Cumin powder means ?

chef and her kitchen said...

@ anju k...Coriander powder is the powder of coriander seeds(dhania) and cumin powder is the powder of cumin seeds(jeera)..

Unknown said...

I do it frequently and so add only milk instead of cream. Like your first picture. It is very inviting. love to have it with roti.

Anonymous said...

absolutely irresistible with such a vibrant colored gravy, love the creamy paneer in them, have a treat on some phokchas in our blog too :-)

Anonymous said...

Tried it!it is truly delicious!thank you for sharing!
Sush

Divya Shivaraman said...

super rich and creamy dear...wonderfully presented too

Shree said...

looks totally restaurant-like ! awesome clicks !

Chitz said...

Yummy & tempting Paneer butter Masala !!

Anonymous said...

This is the most perfect recipe for paneer butter masala in restaurant style. I tried it out and it came out as wonderful as I have tasted in the most authentic punjabi restaurants. I recommend this recipe for beginners as well as seasoned cooks.
- Sangeetha

chef and her kitchen said...

@sangeetha..thanks for your feedback..I m glad that u liked it..

Eat n Eat little More said...

good recipe.. :) Step by step procedure makes the task easy.. Tempting they look.. Awesome clicks

Anonymous said...

my mom just made it rite now... n it looks too delicious.. n its really very tast. thank u so much

Unknown said...

Tried it and it turned out very well, it was amazing. Thank you :D.

Unknown said...


Hi,
Thank u so much for recipe. Came out very well and tasted awesome.every one loved it.

Anonymous said...

looks gud..yet to try :)

Unknown said...

thank u,the dish came out superb................very well described

Unknown said...

I'm visiting this site for the first time and all the recipes are so very good.
Yummy recipe, its just like restaurant taste and it got me lots of appreciation.
Those who ever read, just try it and see.
Thank u prathy!!!!

AshaPrakash said...

tried it and turned out great ... thank you...

rra said...

it is simply awesome...exactly like eating at the restaurant...and really easy thanks a ton Prathy!

anu said...

thank u.. so much for this recipe. It was very delicious

Anonymous said...

I would like to make this tonight and have everything except the kashrut methi. Is there a substitution or can it go without?

Anonymous said...

awesome recipe. tried@home.came out well.

Ashwini said...

Hi Prathibha,
This was the best paneer recipe I had made,it came out perfect!..thank you:-)...had a query,would you know how to make tandoori roti at home?

Rashmi said...

Hi Prathibha
I am a avid follower if your blog.. I tried out this recipe today and paired it with saffron pulao recipe ( from your blog) . Both turned out great.. Thanks so much :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for an excellent recipe. It turned out much better than a similar dish that I had ordered at a restaurant!! Iam glad I checked out this site for the first time!

I did not have cashews at home, and so, I used some almonds and walnuts..

Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

Its delicious...thank you for your recipe :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for excellent receipie it turn out perfect I like the idea of cashew cream it taste so good everyone in my family enjoyed it .!!!

Unknown said...

It was awesome,yummy,I tried thank you

yashin said...

awesome! i loved the curry

Unknown said...

Is the Kasuri Methi (Fenugreek) the seeds or the powder? I have a lot of the seeds at home right now :-)

Anonymous said...

A perfect recipe to try. Thank you

prashant said...

problm may come.......doodh fat jata h jb dalte h.....uske liye kya kru btaiye koi

Anonymous said...

Hi

I have tried this 2 times now for parties at home and it has been a big hit! I am a Bangalorean living in US and my north indian friends couldnt stop raving about this dish. I have been a silent admirer of your blog but I had to post this comment today to thank you.

another Prathi:)

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Thank you for the excellent recipe!

Instead of the cashews, is there a substitute that can be used without compromising the taste? I've in-laws & guests coming over and I wanted to cook this recipe. Please let me know..

Hina

Anonymous said...

I tried it tdy n it turned out to be awesome!! Thanks a lot!

Anonymous said...

Perfect recipe..foolproof

Shalini and Malini said...

I followed ur steps as it is.Except tht i added 2 Small pieces of paneer while grinding d cashew paste.Got d creamy texture n this is a keeper recipe. Thank You very very much. Fool proof step wise recipe.

Unknown said...

Hi,

I want to prepare the 2kg panner butter masala receipe .

Kindly share with me the quantity of all the ingredients which are required to prepare 2kg panner butter masala receipe .

Regards,

Preethi

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Riya said...

Best with tandoori roti and pulao...So creamy

Unknown said...

Delicious one! Also great in vegan modification with tofu instead of paneer and vegetable "diary" products..

best hotel management colleges in Kolkata said...

I came across your blog while looking for some good food recipes and liked a lot. How amazing! I will keep an eye out for all your recipes :)

geilkaushik said...

Turned out to be really good.

geilkaushik said...

Turned out to be really good.

Anonymous said...

I got compliments from my guest that i ordered it from restaurant and my husband he just started loving me more from yesterday.

Really really really worth following the recipe....

Anonymous said...

Hi
I am really a great great fan of your recipes. Tried many of your recipes and they all came out just perfect.
Thanks a ton . Stay blessed and keep posting.

Anonymous said...

I followed your recipe to the T and it came out really well.... Thanks for the recipe..

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to try this, as I am addicted to paneer masala at my local Indian restaurant and if I can learn to make it at home, then when I go out I can try new dishes.

For adding color to the recipe, I learned a trick from friends who own a Moroccan restaurant in Paris. Just before finishing the sauce that they put on couscous, they would add a teaspoon of tomato paste for color. This was one teaspoon for a huge vat of sauce! So for your recipe if anyone would like to enhance the color, even 1/4 teaspoon should work and wouldn't affect the taste of the sauce much.

Anonymous said...

Wow....just now I tried it....its awsomeee. ... ..everybody in the family loved it

Savitha said...

TrI'd it as and it came out very well

Saravana said...

I have tried it and it's very fabulous

nidhi said...

This is the first time I've ever left a comment on a recipe - I've made this countless times for friends, family, and my husband and it's easy and delicious. Thank you so much for this!

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