Paneer Butter Masala

I haven't slept well in the last 1 month properly. I am looking for a soundless 8 hour sleep & I don't know when that dream will come true. I had picked up some roast chicken from Fair price the other day & had fed Zion also some. After eating that he had a bad stomach pain & lose motion. Last night he was getting up every 3 hours with stomach pain & lose motion:(. My poor boy couldn't sleep well nor we could. Later got to know even hubby had a bad stomach. I rarely give outside food to Zion. Since he had mutton cutlets in the afternoon, I thought will give him some chicken for dinner. From now on I am not buying those roast chicken anymore. These roast chicken looks really nice & they are very cheap like 6 or $7 dollars for the whole chicken. Since I was out the whole afternoon shopping, thought will pick this up for dinner. Now I regret badly feeding my boy:(

Coming back to today's post, I was surprised to see No Paneer Butter Masala recipe in my blog. This is one dish I make so often at home. You know the most common dishes that we make are the missed out ones in the blog:) I figured it out that I also haven't updated recipe for Chicken Butter Masala. My Paneer Butter Masala recipe is always a hit at home & also among my friends. I find this recipe very simple & easy. No one can go wrong with this recipe. Depending on your diet you can add more cashews or cream. I mostly skip adding the cream part in my recipe when I make it for us. Some times I also replace cashew with Almonds & that too tastes very good but different. Never fry your Paneer while making butter masala. Frying it will kill the natural Paneer flavour & it will make the paneer hard. I have used fresh home made paneer in this recipe. I find home made paneer more softer & creamier. This is how I made it.

Cooking time: 30  minutes
servings: 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 large onions chopped
• 2 large tomatoes chopped
• 1 Tbspn ginger garlic paste
• 1.5 cup Paneer cubes
• 1/4 cup cashew nuts
• 1/2 Tbspn coriander powder
• 1/2 tbspn cumin powder
• 1/2 tbspn chili powder
• 1/2 Tspn garam masala powder
• 1/2 Tbspn kasoori methi
• 1 Tspn cumin seeds
• 1 cup hot water or more if required
• salt as per taste
• 1 tspn sugar
• coriander leaves  & green chilis to garnish
• 1/4 cup cream or milk
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Soak cashew nuts in hot water for at least 20 mins & then make a paste of it.
2. Boil chopped onions in 1 cup of water until they are translucent & make a paste of this.
3. Soak the tomatoes in the hot water, peel the skin & puree the tomatoes in the blender or mixer.
4. In a heavy bottom pan, add oil fry cumin seeds for few seconds. Now add in ginger garlic paste, onion paste & tomato puree.
5. Cover the lid of the pan & cook this on low flame for about 5 to 6 minutes. Add a little water if required.
6. Now add in all the masala's except kasoori methi & saute well. Throw in 1 tbspn of butter  & sugar now in to the pan. Mix this well & keep sauteing for around 3 to 6 mins
7. When the raw smell goes off  & when you see fat separation, you can add in cashew paste & 1/2 cup of hot water. Saute this for a minute until its well combined.
8. Finally add in the cream, Paneer, Kasoori methi & mix well. Turn of the heat after one boil. Close lid & allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before you dig in:) Add more water if you want.
9. Garnish the dish with coriander leaves, chopped green chilis  & some fresh cream.

Note:

• Make sure you keep the pan closed or else you will have a messy kitchen.
• You can add in some red colour if you want. This will make the paneer look like the restaurant style.
• Use fresh Paneer for the best taste. If you are using frozen Paneer, then soak them in hot water for atleast 1/2 hour so that they come back to room temperature.
• I havent added coriander leaves in this presentation but have added it just before serving this dish for dinner.