PANEER BUTTER MASALA
PANEER BUTTER MASALA
A SINFULLY GOOD PANEER BUTTER MASALA RECIPE.
I am a HUGE fan of my own butter chicken recipe. But I swear this paneer butter masala recipe nearly beats it. Charred and smoky paneer in a tangy and rich butter masala is dinner heaven, and a great vegetarian option. Paneer butter masala is also known as butter paneer, and paneer makhani.
Find out more about butter paneer >
RECIPE DETAILS
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes (with pre-made paneer)
Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Dietary Style: Gluten Free | Vegetarian
INGREDIENTS
RECIPE PREP
- 600 gm paneer cut into cubes
- 2 cups vegetable oil
BUTTER MASALA MARINADE
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp garlic + ginger paste
- 1 tsp fine white lake salt
- 1/2 tsp fine white sea salt
- 1/2 tsp kala namak (Indian black salt)
- 1/2 tsp fine pink salt
- 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp hot red chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 lime
FOR THE KADAI
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp tomato passata
FOR THE BUTTER MASALA SAUCE
- 500 gm passata
- 1/2 cup water
- 80 gm butter
TO FINISH
- 2 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaf)
- 2 tbsp cream
- 1 tsp garam masala
TO GARNISH
- fresh lime
- finely diced red onion
METHOD
How to make our paneer makhani recipe.
STEP 1
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy based pot. Set a bowl of cold water by the stovetop. Fry the cubed raw paneer in batches int he vegetable oil, transferring to the cold water from the hot oil when ready.
Once fried, strain off the water and put the paneer in a bowl in preparation for the marinade.
STEP 2
Add the yogurt and all the spices for the butter masala marinade into the bowl of fried and drained paneer, and squeeze with the juice of the lime. Mix through well.
STEP 3
On the stovetop, heat your kadai, heavy-based pot, or cast iron wok until smoking. Add no oil. Char the marinated paneer in batches, removing once slightly blackened. Don’t stir the paneer. Let it sit on the hot surface and char before using a folding motion to turn it over. Remove and reserve charred paneer on a plate or in a bowl.
Once complete, keep the heat high and add any remnant marinade back to the cooking vessel, along with tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of passata. Cook off for two minutes. Add back the charred marinated paneer. Stir through. Add the ingredients for the butter masala sauce and stir well.
Add the last of the cream, garam masala, and dried fenugreek leaf and stir well. Serve hot with a drizzle of cream, a scatter of dried fenugreek leaf, and a side of fresh lime and finely diced red onion.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
PANEER BUTTER MASALA
What if I don’t have a kadai?
Without a kadai, the best bet is to use a heavy cast iron pot, or to char the marinated paneer on a barbecue grill, a teppanyaki plate, or any flat grill that will allow you to cook at high temperature without oil.
What is paneer butter masala?
Paneer butter masala is a rich dish that finds its origins in butter chicken—the masala is the same recipe. The paneer is charred in a tandoor or in a kadai before being cooked through a rich butter masala sauce.
How do you make paneer?
Paneer is very simple to make, and I have included a link to the paneer recipe beneath the paneer butter masala YouTube video. Paneer is made from boiling milk and then splitting it with an acid, preferably lemon juice. The curds that split are gathered, drained of whey and hung. This soft cheese is paneer.
Where can I buy paneer?
Across the subcontinent, paneer can be bought a mithai stores, or even packaged in supermarkets, or from market vendors. Buying paneer in Western countries can be tricky. Try your local Indian grocer. Tofu does not make a very good substitute for paneer in the case of a butter masala recipe.
