BUTTER PANEER MASALA
Kiran Sabharwal
Butter Paneer or Shahi Paneer Masala is a popular vegetarian dish made out of fresh cottage cheese, tomato puree and butter but it can also be done with virgin olive oil. It is simple to cook and can stay fresh for a few days too in the fridge. In a way, its the vegetarian avatar of the ubiquitous Indian butter-chicken. This dish is popular with all and sundry and also with foodies living out of India.
INGREDIENTS:
Three big sized onions (chopped), 5 to 6 soft tomatoes (chopped), fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh cream, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tbs shahi paneer masala, 1tspn Jeera, 1/2 tspn sugar, 1 tspn cardamom powder, pinch of orange color
1/2 kg Paneer, 1 tbsn of kasoori methi, 1-1/2 tspn ginger garlic paste, 5-7 cashews soaked in water
1 tbspn tomato ketchup as per taste
METHOD:
Take a deep bowl, add 250 grams of butter and once it melts, add roughly chopped onion, fry till it gets golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add tomatoes, and cover with lid so that it gets cooked.
Add salt, red chilli-powder, coriander powder, garam-masala, sugar, orange colour and shahi paneer masala, fry it for a minute. Keep it aside to cool.
Put the above mixture in blender along with 5-7 cashews and blend it to smooth paste. Shift the above mixture in a bowl and keep in a low flame.
Add cream first and then milk and bring it to boil. Now add cardamon powder and kasoori methi and keep it for 2 mins on low fire.
Just before serving, add panner in the above creamy gravy and decorate it with freshly chopped cilantro.
Serve Hot with Roti or Paratha with or without butter topping.
