Rich and yet, subtle, Paneer Butter Masala is a creamy, delicately flavoured and mildly sweet dish made with tomatoes, panner, cashews, cream and all of such lovely things that’ve been caramelised, simmered and blitzed into the smoothest sauce. I make mine with whole spices for an intensely flavoured curry but we could just as easily replace a whole spice with a pinch to a quarter teaspoon of the ground variety. While spices such as green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala are essential and the melange of spices delivers a balanced and beautifully perfumed curry , the absence of a spice or two shouldn’t discourage you. Give it a go with what is available to you and tuck in; you won’t be disappointed 🙂

Equipment:

• Food processor or blender

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1 tbsp of flavourless oil
• 1 tsp of sugar
• Whole spices (a generous pinch of fennel seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds, a few green cardamom pods, 1 black cardamom if available and a couple of cloves , a small piece of cinnamon and a bay leaf or two)
• 2 medium red onions, finely sliced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch square piece of ginger, finely chopped
• Salt to taste; I started with 1/2 tsp and added another pinch at the end
• 25-30 grams of cashew nuts, broken or chopped coarsely
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala
• A 400 gram can of chopped tomatoes; ; you can also use 4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped and deseeded
• 1/2 – 1 tsp of paprika; you could use a blend of paprika and chilli powder as well
• 200 -250 grams of paneer cut into 1 square inch pieces
• 1/3 cup of frozen peas (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp of double cream; 4 -5 tbsp if using single cream or even whole milk
• A generous pinch of dried fenugreek leaves

Optional garnish:

• 1 tsp of cream
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Coriander

Method:

• Place a non stick pan in medium heat and heat up the butter until brown.
• Add in the oil to stop the butter from burning and add sugar.
• Melt in the pan for a minute or two and add the whole spices.
• Once slightly golden and aromatic, add the onions and salt.
• Cook the onions down in medium heat until soft.
• Add the garlic and ginger and cook them through for about 2-3 minutes .
• Add cashew nuts into the mixture and cook on low-medium heat stirring ocassionally until golden and the ingredients are caramelised.
• Add in the turmeric and garam masala and cook for just a minute.
• Add in the tomato and give it a thorough stir.
• Place the lid back on and cook stirring occasionally on medium heat until most of the moisture disappears and the oil starts to separate.
• Add the paprika powder/ chilli powder and stir until combined.
• Take it off the heat and stir off the heat for a minute until slightly cooled.
• Place into a blender with a cup of cool water and blend into a fine paste.
• Pour the mixture back into the pan ensuring that you scrape the sides of the blender throughly and place the pan over medium heat.
• Add another 1/2 cup of water if needed and simmer for a minute stirring until combined.
• Add the pieces of paneer and peas.
• Place the lid back on and simmer for a few minutes until peas and paneer are cooked through.
• Pour in the cream and the fenugreek leaves and stir carefully to combine, adjust seasonings and take it off the heat.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a drizzle of cream and chilli flakes and coriander.
• Serve with rice, naan and/ or parathas and enjoy.