Paneer butter masala - 10 minute recipe

Paneer (Indian Cheese) is always a part of me and I don't mind having the extra flesh here and there because of munching those soft mushy cubes. It is made by curdling the cooked milk with lemon juice. They are then wrapped in a muslin cloth and a heavy stone (heavy weight object) is placed on top for 3-4 hours. Once the excess water (whey) is removed, the white solid mass is cut into small cubes and cooked in curries.

This soft,non melting cheese chunk is a rich source of protein. They are served chopped and fried with cooked spinach or tomato-onion puree or garlic with Indian home grown spices. They are so delicious whether served as a starter (paneer kebabs) or with rice (paneer pulao) or as a gravy. Here is the recipe for Palak Paneer (Spinach Panner Gravy)

The post for today is 10-minutes paneer dish. This was taught to me by my friend and I also saw a similar version in Sanjay Thumma's video. My first experience with this dish was on a busy weekday morning and it was my Savior for the day. I packed that for lunch with Carrot-Peas Pulao. Click for its recipe here.

The light fluffy paneer tasted so heavenly with the sweet-spicy thick gravy. The creamy gravy was a true delight in every mouth and they formed a lovely coating over the pulao. I couldn't get enough of it and I am sure I would be preparing them often. They are so easy to fix and cooks in no time. Do give it a try. I bought the paneer from an Indian Grocery Store or if you have time, you can make them at home.


Ingredients
10-15 Paneer cubes (Store bought)
1/2 cup - onions - finely chopped
1 tbs tomato ketchup
2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbs chilli powder
1/4 tbs cummin powder
1/2 tbs coriander powder
1/4 tbs garam masala
1/4 tbs crushed Kasoori methi
2 tsp amchur powder (Mango powder)
1/2 tbs ginger-garlic paste
2 cups whole milk
1/2tbs whipped heavy cream
Salt to taste
1/2 " stick butter / 1/2 tbs oil

Method
Throw in all the dry ingredients (except Kasoori methi) into a clean dry bowl. Mix them all well with a whisk and keep stirring while you slowly pour the milk. Avoid forming any clumps. Set them aside.

Heat the butter in a cooking vessel. Once they get heated up, add the onions and cook on high flame for 2-3 minutes. Once they begin to brown, pour the above made milk solution and cook till the raw smell disappears. When they milk boils, simmer the flame and add the kasoori methi and panner cubes. Cook for further 2-3 minutes and turn off the flame. Mix in the heavy cream and serve hot with roti / rice.

Note: If you wish not to use heavy cream, cook them for further 5-8 minutes to thicken the gravy.