To make up for your Butter Chicken craving during fasting periods, you should give this relatively easy Butter Paneer recipe from ecurry‘s delicious blog a chance. For the authentic paneer taste, take the trouble to go an extra mile by making the paneer at home from scratch. It takes nothing more than 4 cups of boiled full cream cow’s milk and a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar to curdle the milk solids left to hang in a cheesecloth so that they coalesce to form the soft cheesy mass I used in this recipe. Do not let the long ingredient list scare you, I am pretty sure you must be having most of them lying somewhere in the spice rack of your kitchen drawers. If you cannot find fenugreek/methi leaves in shops, grow your own from methi seeds soaked overnight and harvesting the sprouts after a week or so. While you can leave out a few things, do not omit the methi; they are what imparts the distinctive flavor to your makhani sauce.
PANEER MAKHANI
Ingredients:
For the Paneer Marinade
200g paneer, homemade or store bought
1 tablespoon thick unsweetened yogurt
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon methi/dried fenugreek leaves
Kitchen salt, to taste + 1/2 tablespoon oil
For the Makhani Sauce
1/8 cup melted butter/ghee
2 inch stick cinnamon
2 small green cardamoms
1/2 teaspoon methi/fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoons ginger paste
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
Kitchen salt, to taste
2 1/2 cups pureed fresh tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon methi/dried fenugreek leaves
2 hot green peppers, split
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, cut into chunks
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon almond or cashew paste
1 teaspoon unrefined sugar
5-6 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup full cream milk
Method:
- For the makhani sauce, heat butter over low and add cinnamon stick, cardamoms and fenugreek seeds.
- Once the seeds start to sizzle, add ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder and stir fry till the fat separates.
- Add the tomato paste, hot green peppers, cinnamon powder and dried fenugreek leaves and stir it well.
- Simmer to reduce the tomato sauce till done. Make sure to cover the pan as it will bubble and splatter.
- If you want a smooth and creamy sauce, cool and blend the sauce to combine all the spices. Set aside.
- For the marinade, whisk the yogurt, salt, chili powder, dried fenugreek leaves and oil in a large bowl.
- Add cubed paneer to the bowl and toss so that the marinade coats paneer. Rest for about 15 minutes.
- Bake them for 7 minutes in a pre heated oven at 350 degree. F and then broil the paneer for 3 minutes.
- Turn over and broil for another couple of minutes until they turn golden in color. Remove from oven.
- Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion and pepper at high heat for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.
- In deep saucepan, add the Makhani sauce and warm water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.
- Add sugar, sautéed onion and bell pepper. Partially cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes at moderate heat.
- Uncover, add paneer cubes, and the almond paste and stir gently for the spice mixture to coat paneer.
- Cover it partially and simmer for 15 more minutes over moderate heat. Add water if sauce is too thick.
- Reduce the heat and allow the temperature of the pan to come down. Add the milk and heavy cream.
- Stir it gently and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Serve warm with naan or plain rice. For 6 persons.
Paneer Makhani
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