Name: Paneer butter masala
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 green cardamom pods; ¼–½ teaspoon sugar (optional, to taste); 30 g (1 oz) butter; 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil; 3 large tomatoes (450 g/1 lb), finely chopped; 1 large onion (250 g/9 oz), diced; ½–¾ teaspoon Chaat masala; a pinch of salt, to taste; 1½ teaspoons Ginger garlic paste, or ¾ teaspoon fresh Ginger paste; 2–3 cloves; 1 small cinnamon stick; ½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi); see tip; 1 fresh bay leaf; 250 g (9 oz) Paneer, cut into cubes; coriander (cilantro) leaves (optional), to garnish; crushed black pepper (optional), to garnish; 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) thin (pouring) cream, plus extra to serve; 10–12 cashews; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; ½–¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder (adjust for the best colour)

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
55 min

Appears in

Lands of the Curry Leaf

By Peter Kuruvita

Published 2018

About

Butter masala has to be one of the best-known and beloved Indian sauces — and to have it with your own homemade paneer cheese makes it even better. You can make a no-onion, no-garlic version by skipping the garlic and onion.

Onions, cashews and tomatoes naturally lend a sweet flavour to the gravy, so use sugar only if needed to suit your taste.