Paneer Butter Masala

Mmmm.. the beloved PBM!! [Cottage cheese cooked in a buttery tomato based sauce with Indian spices] If we were to take a survey, I think this dish would be the winner of "The Most Popular Dish" in the Indian restaurants. And why shouldn't it be.. its a rich, yummy comfort food loved by everyone! So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Block of fresh Paneer - 250 gms
Tomatoes - 4 large
Red Onions - 2 medium
Heavy cream - 1/2 cup
Butter - 5 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tb sp
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 2 tbsp (suit your taste)
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Kasuri methi powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to tatse
Cashews - 8-10 soaked in water for few hours
Cinnamon stick - 1 (Indian kind - 2 inches long)
Green Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 4
Bay leaf - 1 big
Shahi Jeera - 1 tb sp
Green chillies - 2-3 (optional)
Coriander leaves - for garnish.

Method:

- Make a puree of the tomatoes by grinding them and set aside.
- Grind the cashews with some water to a fine paste and set aside.
- Then grind together the onions,cinnamon, cloves & cardamom to a fine paste.
- Cut the paneer in cubes or desired shape and saute in a pan with 1 tb sp of butter, till golden brown
and set aside.
- In the same pan add 4 tb sp of butter and after melting add bay leaf and jeera and saute
- Next, add the onion mixture and saute till the raw smell goes away and the water in the onions is reduced
- Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell is gone
- Next add the tomato puree and chilli powder, coriander powder, kasuri methi, salt and saute till oil starts leaving at the edges.
- Slit the green chillies and add them into the pan along with the cashew paste.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes
- Finally add the cream and paneer cubes, stir for a minute. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with basmati rice / naan or rotis.


Tips:

- PBM is not so spicy originally, but I like it this way. So, you can reduce the amount of spices or increase the amount of cashews and cream you add.
- Add a little red food color if you are ok with using it. It will make the dish look more presentable.
- You can replace the paneer with Chicken and voila! you have Butter chicken ready. (Use boneless, thigh part of the chicken for best taste)

Healthy twist:

- You can substitute the butter with olive oil.
- Skip the cream & add just add 1/4 cup of whole milk instead
- Substitute the paneer with Tofu.
- Skip the cashews.
- If using chicken, use the breast part as its the leanest.

Believe me, even with these substitutions the dish is going to turn out great! I do it this way most of the times and I call it "Tofu Olive Masala" :D