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Paneer Butter Masala (step by step)

June 2, 2020 by maria 18 Comments

Paneer Butter Masala recipe – made in restaurant style. One of the most popular dish across India and also popular in all hotels. The gravy goes well with butter naan, roti, toasted bread and also jeera rice. We make this dish quite often at home and love butter paneer masala which just disappears in matter of few mins.

Paneer Butter Masala (step by step)

When you make this at home your house would be full of aroma. You could make a low fat dish by replacing butter with oil and cream with milk. But we love our recipe with load of butter and cream.

This is my sister’s recipe from her treasure-bank. One of the best recipes and tastes much better than the ones you get in any restaurant. I had mine with steamed rice and hubby ate with rotis.

It would be better if you use firm paneer and not crumbled paneer for this dish. Otherwise your paneer would be all over the gravy losing its shape which we don’t want. I have shallow fried the paneer before adding them to the gravy. This helps in keeping the paneer firm.

The taste of paneer butter masala is slightly towards the sweeter taste. If you aren’t fond of sweet taste then add some green chilies to make them spicy. If you don’t have paneer it’s okay just add mushrooms or tofu instead.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

How to make Paneer Butter Masala recipe stepwise:

1. Firstly make a small cross over the tomatoes. Boil them in 3 cups hot water with little salt for 6-7 mins. Also add bay leaf while the boiling tomatoes.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

2. Once the tomatoes are boiled their skin would peel.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

3. Allow to cool, peel the tomatoes. Chop and blend them to a smooth puree.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

4. Add 1 tbsp butter + oil in a heated pan. Shallow fry the paneer.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

5. Once they get the lovely golden color switch off the gas.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

6. Remove the paneer and place aside.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

7. In the same pan add rest of butter and oil. Saute ginger and mace for a minute on low heat. I forgot to add mace in the excitement but you don’t forget 😉

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

8. Add chilies and saute for 20 secs.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

9. Pour the cashew nut paste.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

10. Mix all nicely and fry the paste.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

11. Keep frying and stirring until the paste thickens.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

12. Add the tomato puree.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

13. Simmer the tomato puree until it thickens.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

14. The gravy would thicken and reduce.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

15. Once the gravy starts leaving oil towards the edges. Add all the spice powders, sugar and salt.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

16. Add the fried paneer. Mix all nicely and switch off the gas.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

17. Stir in cream.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

18. Sprinkle some kasuri methi.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

19. Serve your paneer butter masala recipe hot with naan, rotis or rice.

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

 

If you love paneer then do check paneer 65, paneer pulao, paneer masala, paneer biryani, malai paneer, paneer tikka masala, malai paneer tikka, chili paneer, paneer pasanda and methi malai paneer.

Paneer Butter Masala recipe card below:

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe, How to make Paneer Butter Masala Restaurant Style
Recipe Type: Main, vegetarian
Cuisine: Indian, North-India
Author: Maria@flavorsofmumbai.com
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 55 mins
Serves: 3-4
Paneer Butter Masala recipe made in restaurant style. The gravy goes well with butter naan, roti, toasted bread and also jeera rice.
Ingredients
  • 250 gm cottage cheese (paneer)
  • 5-6 medium sized
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 inch ginger chopped into julienne
  • 2-3 green chilies slit lengthwise
  • mace- 2 strands
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 16-17 cashewnut soaked in hot water for 5-120 mins then grounded into a smooth paste
  • 1 cup water or as required
  • 2 tbsp cream or as required
  • salt as required
  • 1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
Instructions
  1. Firstly make a small cross over the tomatoes. Boil them in 3 cups hot water with little salt for 6-7 mins. Also add bay leaf while boiling tomatoes.
  2. Once the tomatoes are boiled their skin would start peeling.
  3. Allow to cool, peel the tomatoes. Chop and blend them to a smooth puree.
  4. Add 1 tbsp butter + 1 tsp oil in a hot pan. Shallow fry the paneer.
  5. Once they get a lovely golden color switch off the gas. Remove the paneer and place aside.
  6. In the same pan add rest of oil and butter, Saute ginger and mace for a minute on low heat. I forgot to add mace in the excitement but you don’t forget 😉
  7. Add the chilies and saute for 20 secs.
  8. Pour the cashewnut paste.
  9. Mix all nicely and fry the paste.
  10. Keep frying and stirring until the paste thickens.
  11. Add the tomato puree.
  12. Simmer the tomato puree until it thickens.
  13. The gravy would thicken and reduce.
  14. Once the gravy starts leaving oil towards the edges. Add all the spice powders, sugar and salt.
  15. Stir in cream.
  16. Sprinkle some kasuri methi.
  17. Serve your paneer butter masala recipe hot with naan, rotis or rice.
Notes
1. It’s important to cook the tomato puree until it has no moisture left for better result.[br]2. Adding cream is optional but it enhances the taste of the dish.[br]3. I have added oil along butter as butter tends to get brown.[br]4. If you like spice then add more green chilies[br]5. You could add dash of orange color I haven’t added.[br]6. The consistency of the gravy has to be thick.
3.5.3208

Filed Under: Glutenfree, Kid, North Indian, Paneer, Vegeterian Tagged With: Bachelor Recipes, Vegetarian Dishes

Comments

  1. Serra says

    March 23, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    Loved it ! Have been referring to your recipes and all of them have turned out very good and appreciated by all !! Thank you for making a ‘no cook’ like me to a much better one now . I have sure come a long way thanks to you and your recipes 🙂

    Reply
    • maria says

      March 23, 2018 at 10:35 pm

      Very pleased to know this Serra 🙂 thanks for positive feedback. Glad to know you like all the recipes and your family loves them too. All the best I am sure you are a great cook.

      Reply
  2. Rajkumar jain says

    July 19, 2016 at 8:14 am

    Really Its no 1 receipe of butter paneer masala.

    Reply
    • maria says

      July 19, 2016 at 5:49 pm

      thankyou so much 🙂

      Reply
  3. Chaya Ashtekar says

    June 21, 2016 at 1:41 am

    It came out great maria. thanks again. The pictures and the narrative makes me visit your blog frequently.

    Reply
    • maria says

      June 21, 2016 at 12:01 pm

      Pleased to know this Chaya thankyou for your positive feedback 🙂 also keep sharing your views we like to read your feedback.

      Reply
  4. Neeta says

    May 10, 2016 at 6:49 am

    Panir Makhani or butter masala is y children’s favorite and my sons in law love the chicken makhani. I used this same recipe to make both. Prepared the chicken as per your instructions. The vegetarian panir I prepared without cashews since I can’t have it. Used hemp seeds and it was so good. As I have diet restrictions of ginger and garlic, used one onion in the panir masala. It amazed me how flavorful everything still turned out to be. My kids thought I had taken so much trouble to make two kinds of dishes besides all the vegetables. Thank you for this simplified recipe that earned me compliments of “tastes just like the one served in restaurants”.

    Reply
    • maria says

      May 10, 2016 at 10:46 pm

      Very pleased to know this Neeta thankyou so much for your kind and positive words. Glad your family loved them and you are always welcome god bless you 🙂

      Reply
  5. Alefiyah says

    January 30, 2016 at 11:25 pm

    I found ur recipe and cooked the paneer..it turned out perfectly delicious..my family loved it!! Thankyou so much for sharing it..

    Reply
    • maria says

      January 31, 2016 at 1:27 pm

      Very pleased to know this Alefiyah 🙂 glad your family loved the paneer butter masala. You are welcome.

      Reply
  6. rose says

    November 11, 2015 at 9:58 am

    this time tried your version and came out better than the hotel ones. My family loved it thankyou so much wish u happy diwali.

    Reply
    • maria says

      November 11, 2015 at 10:01 am

      hey rose thankyou so much for trying the paneer butter masala that’s my sisters recipe 🙂 you are welcome and glad to know your family liked them. wish you too a happy and prosperous diwali.

      Reply
  7. sunita says

    March 28, 2015 at 10:52 am

    Hi Dear Maria

    Whts up and how r u doing? After a long time yeah……hope all is fine with u and i tried this last week.Very easy recipe and super yuuuuuuummmmmssssss.
    It came out delicious. Thanks for the great recipe. Waiting for the chicken manchurian and koli masala plzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

    Lv and Tk cre

    Sunita

    Reply
    • maria says

      March 28, 2015 at 10:45 pm

      You are always welcome Sunita and happy to see you back after a long time… surely would update you with the garlic chicken and east indian bottle masala recipe…… give me some time I am on a small vacation….

      Reply
      • sunita says

        March 29, 2015 at 7:34 pm

        Okay! enjoy yr vacation.

        lv and tk cre

        sunita

        Reply
        • maria says

          March 29, 2015 at 8:47 pm

          Thanks Sunita 🙂

          Reply
  8. Viji says

    February 21, 2015 at 2:05 am

    love it! I have been using ground cashew to replace the cream all these days:)

    Reply
    • maria says

      February 21, 2015 at 4:26 pm

      Thankyou Viji 🙂

      Reply

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