Photo: Subhrajyoti07 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Punjab · Lunch

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer cubes in a lush, orange-red tomato-cashew gravy enriched with butter and cream — the vegetarian counterpart of Butter Chicken, born in the same Punjabi restaurant tradition of Moti Mahal.

🧺 Ingredients

• 300g paneer, cut into 3cm cubes
• 4 large tomatoes (400g), roughly chopped
• 20g cashews, soaked 20 min
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 medium onions (200g), roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (Kashmiri for colour)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp sugar
• 80ml fresh cream
• 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Sugar balances the tomato acidity — do not skip.

👩‍🍳 How to make Paneer Butter Masala

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in kadai on MEDIUM-HIGH.
2. Add onions — fry 5 min until soft.
3. Add tomatoes and cashews — cook 10 min until completely soft, mushy, and water evaporates.
4. Cool, blend to completely smooth paste.
5. In same clean kadai, heat butter on MEDIUM.
6. Add ginger-garlic paste — fry 1 min until golden, not burnt.
7. Add blended tomato-cashew paste.
8. Add Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, sugar — cook MEDIUM-HIGH 10–12 min, stirring frequently, until gravy thickens and butter separates at surface.
9. Reduce to LOW.
10. Add cream, kasuri methi (crush between palms before adding), garam masala.
11. Add paneer.
12. Simmer 3 min.
13. Do not boil hard.
14. Adjust salt.

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