Sunday, January 3, 2016

Posted by Mala at 1:00:00 AM 4 comments
There are many people who love paneer, and among all the paneer dishes, they love Paneer Butter Masala. The method I am going to share with you all,  is a very easy, quick one, yields the restaurant-taste and flavour, but, comparatively very low in calories, and in fact, a healthy one. I have used store bought paneer. I bought Hatsun brand, it turned out to be excellent, so soft, and all the paneer cubes had fully taken in the flavours.

Ingredients
Paneer - 2 packets, it came to 2 cups of cubed paneer
Onions - 2, chopped
Tomatoes - 4, chopped
Red bell pepper - 1 , chopped
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp
Kasuri methi - 2 tsps, crushed
Cashews - 10-12, soaked in hot water for an hour, minimum
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Salt to taste

For seasoning
Cooking oil (I used refined oil) - 4 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 3 tsps
Jeera - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Recipe Cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch / Dinner
Prep time: 15 mts; Cooking time: 15-20 mts

Serves 6

Soak the cashews for 1/2 - 1 hour, then grind them to a fine paste, with 1/2 cup milk


Soak the paneer cubes in hot water for 1/2 hour and drain them.


                     In 2 tsps cooking oil, saute the onions and red bell pepper pieces, not forgetting the ginger-garlic paste.


Then add the tomatoes  and keep sauteeing


till they become slightly mushy


Allow it to cool down completely, then grind it to a smooth paste


In a pressure pan, add the remaining cooking oil and ghee, and season turmeric powder, jeera, cardamom and cloves.

Then add the tomato-bell pepper-onion paste, keeping the flames on the lowest, and also shielding with the lid, because it will start splashing. Or, you can actually switch off, add the paste, keep on the lowest and then switch on. Then add the crushed kasuri methi, chilli, coriander and garam masala powders.


Close the lid, cook for 1 whistle. I tell you, this way, we don't have to simmer the gravy for a long time, so that the raw smell will vanish. It all happens in a jiffy, the raw smell vanishes, and the gravy gets the perfectly simmered appearance!!  The same thing I experimented for my pav bhaji .


After the pressure releases, open and add the cashew paste, and the remaining 1 cup milk. Add salt .


Mix well.


Now, add the drained paneer pieces, allow to simmer in this rich but healthy gravy for 5 minutes.



Serve this yummy, easy Panner Butter Masala with hot-hot rotis




This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

*In one of Tarla dalal's paneer dishes, I have seen  her using green  bell pepper , and so I thought of trying it our with red bell pepper, which will not only enrich the gravy's colour but also give a sweet and tangy taste.
*Though the name is Paneer Butter Masala, I avoid using butter. And also fresh cream. The addition of both these  makes the dish  very very heavy. Even if we have 2-3 servings, you don't have an uncomfortable, heavy feeling at all!! People who do not mind extra calories and heavy feeling, can use butter while seasoning ,  and also fresh cream at the end.
*I love this method of pressure cooking the gravy, since so much time is saved.




4 comments:

  1. Looks rich sans butter and cream.Amazing, simple yet sumptious !Apt sides for rotis! What more can u ask for? A Punjabi dish very light on stomach great on tongue!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good post. I like your blog. Thank you so much for sharing.
    Catering Services in Tambaram

    ReplyDelete
  3. Delicious! Nice way to save time by cooking in pressure cooker!My recipe is similar but have never tried your method..but will do from now on.
    Kalpana Anand

    ReplyDelete
  4. i tried. tasted extremely good. liked very much by my kid. Thank you madam.

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