Paneer Butter Masala

Name: Paneer Butter Masala
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 14 oz paneer, cubed; 4 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 yellow onion, roughly chopped; 6 garlic cloves, smashed; 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced; 1/4 cup raw cashews; 1 can canned whole peeled tomatoes; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or mild paprika); 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp granulated sugar; 1/3 cup heavy cream; 2/3 cup water; 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed

Silky cubes of paneer in a luxuriously rich tomato-cream sauce infused with butter, cashews, and aromatic spices. The restaurant-style gravy is smooth, mildly spiced, and deeply satisfying over basmati rice.

50 minMediumServes 4410 cal/serving

IndianDinnerStovetopVegetarianLow CarbGluten-FreeEgg-FreePork-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

14 oz paneer, cubed
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 can canned whole peeled tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or mild paprika)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup water
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed

Instructions

1

Heat half the 4 tbsp unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 roughly chopped yellow onion, 6 smashed garlic cloves, 1 inch sliced fresh ginger, and 1/4 cup raw cashews. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and lightly golden.
2

Add 1 can canned whole peeled tomatoes, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, and 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or mild paprika). Stir and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture is thick. Let cool slightly.
3

Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until very smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into the saucepan, pressing to extract all the sauce. Discard solids.
4

Return the pan to medium heat. Add the remaining unsalted butter and pour in 2/3 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is a rich, deep orange color.
5

Stir in 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp garam masala, and 1 tsp crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi). Simmer for 3 minutes.
6

Add 14 oz cubed paneer and gently stir to coat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the paneer is heated through.
7

Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Indian Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

What should Paneer Butter Masala look like when it is ready?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 6: cook until the paneer is heated through.

Do I need any special equipment for Paneer Butter Masala?

Beyond a knife and a board, the method uses a blender (step 3) and a fine-mesh sieve (step 3).

What can I use instead of dried fenugreek leaves in Paneer Butter Masala?

The entry for Paneer Butter Masala calls for 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed. In its place: A little celery leaf with a pinch of fennel seed, or simply leave it out. The flavor is distinctive and the dish still works without it.

Can I make Paneer Butter Masala less spicy?

Yes. The heat in Paneer Butter Masala comes from 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or mild paprika). For a milder plate, halve the Kashmiri chili; nothing else in the method changes.

How many carbs are in Paneer Butter Masala?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) has 5 g of carbohydrate in about 410 calories, with 20 g protein and 35 g fat, plus 1 g fiber and 847 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.