Butter Paneer
Butter Paneer has the rich, creamy flavor of the ever-popular butter chicken, but in a vegetarian form featuring paneer cheese instead.
Servings: 4
Calories: 640kcal
Equipment
- Microplane for grating ginger
Ingredients
For the Paneer
- 1/4 cup plain regular or Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper If you want your butter paneer to be very mild, reduce the amount to 1/8 teaspoon or just a pinch. Increase to 1/2 teaspoon for spicier butter paneer.
- 1 pound paneer cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes
For the Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt or MSG-salt
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup tomato puree or diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
For the Paneer
- Stir together 1/4 cup plain regular or Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon canola oil, the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cubed paneer and toss it in the sauce until it's evenly coated. Place the bowl in the fridge to marinate while your prep the sauce, or for up to 12 hours (overnight).
For the Sauce
- Heat 2 Tablespoons canola oil in a large saucepan or medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the minced onion, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, and 1 teaspoons kosher salt. Cook until the the onion becomes soft and the tomato paste darkens, about 5-8 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic and grated ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tablespoon garam masala, 2 teaspoons paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and cook for another minute.
- Stir in 1 cup tomato puree and cook until it comes to a simmer, about 2-3 mintues. Stir in 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, and remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce (alternatively, you can use a traditional blender, but I recommend letting the sauce cool a little bit before hand and/or blending in 2-3 batches to prevent the steam from blowing the lid off the blender).
- Return the pot to medium heat and stir in 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter until it melts into the sauce. Stir in the cubed paneer and its marinade and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve the butter paneer over rice and/or with naan or parathi bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 640kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 968mg | Potassium: 479mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1554IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 615mg | Iron: 2mg
