Paneer butter masala needs no introduction. It’s rich, creamy, buttery and the queen of all curries. My name is Kavya Samanvitha and i will show you how to make a perfect restaurant style paneer butter masala. The good news is that I will also show you how to make this wonderful dish keto-friendly. This recipes makes for about 4-5 people.
Paneer Butter Masala Ingredients
Oil : 5 Tbsp (ghee optional)
Butter : 250g
Onion : 1 big chopped
Chopped garlic : 1 Tbsp
Dried red chillies : 5-6 medium
Cashews : 1 cup (or 1 cup almonds for keto recipe)
Ginger garlic paste : 1 Tbsp
Chilli powder : 1-2 Tbsp
Salt : 1-2 Tbsp
Turmeric : 1 Tbsp
Garam masala : ½ – 1 tbsp
Sugar : 1 Tsp (Sugar-free or erythritol for keto recipe)
Paneer : 250g
Garnish : Fresh cream and Coriander
Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
Firstly in a heated pan, add 3 tablespoons of oil and a big blob of butter keeping the flame high. To this, add one big chopped onion. If you’re on keto, just keep the oil and add in lots and lots of butter. You can also add in ghee (clarified butter) if you want to. Once the onions are soft, add in one tablespoon of chopped garlic.
After sautéing them for a few minutes, add dried red chillies broken into halves. Next add in 2 to 3 cups of diced tomatoes. Give it a quick mix. Now it’s time to add in the hero of our recipe. Add in half a cup of cashews. If you’re on keto, cashews are a big no no. So, substitute cashews with almonds. I suggest you not to skip cashews at all and if you do, then its a big crime Because this is where all the creaminess comes from ! 😛
Now add in about one tablespoon of ginger garlic paste. Sauté all this on a high flame for about 5-10 minutes. Blend it into a fine smooth paste. The smoother you blend it, the creamier and rich the puree gets. Now in the same pan add about 2 tablespoons of butter.
To get that exact restaurant style taste, add about 1-2 tablespoons of chilli powder in this butter itself and sauté it for a few seconds. You also get that street style taste by doing so. Make sure you sort it only for a few seconds, otherwise the chilli powder tends to get burnt easily. Just add in the blended puree and give a quick mix. At this point add in one tablespoon of salt. Also add in half a tablespoon of turmeric. It enhances the flavour and also the colour of this curry.
Also Read : Check out 20 Famous Gujarati Food items
Also add in half a tablespoon of garam masala. The key here is do not overdo the masala, because this curry should be creamy and buttery. That’s where you get that exact restaurant style taste. It’s time to add in one teaspoon of sugar. It enhances the creaminess. But if you’re on keto, add in sugar-free or erythritol.
Finally add in fresh paneer. Some people like to fry the paneer and the add it to the curry, but according to me you should never do that because in this recipe, you want the paneer to be very soft and creamy. If you sauté it or fry it and then add to the curry, it loses its softness and tenderness. Keep the flame on low to medium. You want to cook all these flavours and paneer together. Now it’s time to add one more big blob of butter. Keep the lid and cook it on a low flame for about 10 minutes.
I know this seems like a lot, but if you do this, it will be the best Paneer Butter Masala you’ve ever eaten! Really tough to resist this, But the taste is beyond wonderful. Now you notice the curry glowing and buttery with a rich orange colour. The fresh, soft paneer takes it to another level. To add in an extra layer of creaminess, just drizzle fresh cream on the top after switching off the flame. Give a quick mix. Finally, take it into a serving bowl and drizzle on more fresh cream on the top. You can also add in a small piece of butter if you want to and also add in fresh coriander.
Also Read : Easy Homemade Stove top Pizza recipe
This will be the best paneer butter masala you’ve ever eaten and you will be surely proud of yourself if you follow this recipe and do it. What’s more, just have it with chapati or pulao to comfort your inner demons! You will never prefer the restaurant made paneer butter masala after this.
