Paneer Masala (the curry in the middle) is one of my fave north indian dishes, along with baingan bartha. Paneer is so yummy when in a creamy sauce. Here is mine version of it, and it’s VERY easy! 😃 Normally it’s made with a cashew paste, where the cashews are soaked in water. I recently bought some roasted cashews from Dubai, so I went with these to give it a try – without having them soaked in water. And this was actually good too.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 200g of paneer, cut into cubes
- 20 cashews (normally they are soaked in water, I didn’t do this)
- 4 medium sized tomatoes
- 5-6 small red onions, slit (Optional, onions are normally not added to this meal)
- 2 tablespoons of ghee (or butter) – I used ghee
- 2 cm of ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons of garam masala
- 4 teaspoons of red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon of coriander powder (powder of coriander seeds)
- 1 green chili, slit
- 1 teaspoon of tomato puree
- Salt – as needed
- Some coriander/cilantro leaves
Optional:
- ½ cup of green peas
- ½ sliced bell pepper
Instructions:
The cashew/tomato paste:
Normally, there are made 2 pastes, one of cashews only and another one with tomatoes only. To make it quick and easy, I made both pastes into one, as follows:
In a blender, add the 20 cashews with 1 cup of water and blend it together to a smooth paste.
Then add cut tomatoes, and blend it again into a fine, smooth paste.
Keep this paste aside.
The masala gravy:
In a big pan (kadaai) heat the ghee/butter. Once melted add the onions and ginger and saute well. Once it’s well cooked, add the peas, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, salt and green chili and let it cook until the raw smell is gone.
Now add the tomato puree and the cashew/tomato paste and the sliced bell pepper. Add ½ cup of water. Mix it well with the masala, and let it cook for a few minutes.
Finally add the paneer cubes and stir gently.
Garnish with cilantro.
This paneer butter masala goes very well with some rice or som roti/naan/chapati.
Bon appétit! 😋😋
~ AJ