Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

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Paneer Butter Masala is the curry that disappears first at every restaurant table — soft cubes of paneer folded into a silky tomato gravy enriched with butter and cream, gently sweet, mildly spiced and deeply comforting. The good news is that the restaurant version is easy to reproduce at home: the secret is a smooth, well-cooked tomato-cashew base and adding the cream and kasuri methi right at the end. Serve it with naan, jeera rice or flaky parathas and it never disappoints.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: North Indian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the tomato-cashew base:
  • 4 large ripe tomatoes about 500 g, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium onion roughly chopped
  • 10 cashews
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 1 small bay leaf
For the gravy:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon oil stops the butter burning
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 250 g paneer cut into cubes
  • 1/4 cup fresh cream plus a little extra to swirl on top
  • 1 tablespoon kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves, crushed between the palms
  • 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves chopped

Method
 

  1. Add the tomatoes, onion, cashews, ginger-garlic paste, cardamom, bay leaf and 1 cup of water to a pan. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely soft and pulpy.
  2. Remove the bay leaf, let the mixture cool a little, then blend it to a very smooth paste. Strain it back into the pan through a sieve, pressing well with a spoon — straining is what gives the gravy its restaurant silkiness.
  3. Heat the butter and oil in a wide pan on low-medium heat. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder and coriander powder and stir for a few seconds so they bloom in the butter without burning.
  4. Pour in the strained tomato paste. Cook on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the gravy thickens and the butter starts to shine at the edges.
  5. Add the garam masala, sugar and salt. Mix well and taste — the gravy should be balanced: tangy, gently sweet and warm, not sharp.
  6. Add about 1/2 cup of hot water if the gravy is too thick, then slide in the paneer cubes. Simmer gently for just 2 to 3 minutes so the paneer stays soft.
  7. Lower the heat, stir in the cream and the crushed kasuri methi. Warm through for a minute — do not let it boil hard after the cream goes in.
  8. Garnish with a swirl of cream and fresh coriander. Serve hot with naan, roti or jeera rice.

Notes

  • Soft, fresh paneer makes all the difference. If your paneer is firm or fridge-hard, soak the cubes in warm salted water for 10 minutes before adding.
  • Blend and strain properly — a grainy base can never become a silky gravy later.
  • Never boil the curry hard after adding cream; it can split and turns the gravy oily.
  • For a lighter weekday version, swap half the cream for milk and skip the final butter, but keep the kasuri methi — that is the signature flavour.

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