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Butter Paneer Masala

Gluten Free, Paneer (Indian Cheese), Vegetables Curry / Gravy, , , , , , , , , , ,
Butter Paneer Masala

Butter Paneer Masala

Butter Paneer Masala is a rich entre made with Indian cheese and a creamy sauce. This dish is tasty when served over white rice or with Naan or Tandoori Roti.
4.34 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 3 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lb paneer cubed in byte size
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1 green chili
  • 1/4 inch ginger
  • 1/2 cup green peas
  • 1/2 cup yogurt, whipped curd, dahi
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/8 tsp asafetida hing
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds jeera
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder dhania
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric haldi
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • 2 bay leaves tajpat
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp sugar, optional
  • 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped hara dhania

Instructions
 

  • Deep-fry the paneer on low-medium heat until the paneer has a little golden- brown color. Set aside.
  • Blend tomatoes, green chilly and ginger to make a puree.
  • Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready. Add hing and cumin seeds.
  • After the cumin seeds crack, add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and bay leaves. Cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat. Tomato mixture will start to leave the oil and will reduce to about half in quantity.
  • Add the whipped yogurt into the gravy. Stir occasionally for about 3 minutes on medium heat.
  • To thicken the gravy, dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water and add to the gravy.
  • Add the green peas and paneer. Let it cook for a few minutes until the peas are tender.
  • Add the garam masala and cilantro. Add a little sugar if the gravy is sour.

Notes

Variations
You can substitute the yogurt with heavy cream for a richer flavor.
1 tablespoon of fresh or dried methi leaves (Fenugreek leaves) can be added at the end.
Add in the yogurt powder of 4 to 5 cashews to make it creamier.
This gravy can be used in any combination of vegetables you desire.
This recipe is only a method - feel free to be creative and experiment!
Keyword Kid Friendly, Paneer Dish, Party Food
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally posted 2007-06-16 14:47:47.


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166 thoughts on “Butter Paneer Masala”

  4. Manjula. I have been following you for some years, since your earliest posts. I am returning to review them now, first your “How-to-make-paneer” video, and now the later ones. Even though I have not tried them all, I love watching you. And now, years later, I look back on your early days and remember. How you have changed. You are younger now than you were then! And beautiful and just as informative and soothing in your presentation. I love cooking your food. I have favourites. (although, I am a omnivore, who very often eats vegetarian) Have you ever considered refilming the original paneer-making recipe? Loved you then and love you even more now! And Kudos to your husband film-maker/camera man!

  5. Nameste Manjula,

    I have two questions for you: the first being which cooking oil do you use to cook in? And the second, where would the best place to source paneer be i you were based in the UK?

    Thank you very much in advance. I love your cooking.

  7. Namaste Manjula Aunty
    I would like to thank you for sharing your sweet and simple recipes.. Kids love your recipes.. common middle class family can afford this.

    Thanks

  8. Manjula Aunty can u tell me shile making butter paneer masala everthing u tld bt u did nt mention wht 2 do wit de green peas.as m jz studyin girl i hv no idea 2 boil it separatly or fry or anythin.plz tell me i wanna make it witout ny 1s help frm my family.

  9. Hello Madam,

    I noticed that although this dish is called Butter Paneer Masala, you have not used butter anywhere. Do we use butter somewhere in the dish?

  10. Pingback: Vegan “Butter” “Chicken” | Ripe Avocados

  11. Thank U Manjula Aunty for such delicious recipes. actually i m newly married and i learn a lot of things to cook from ur site. my husband loved the butter paneer masala so much that he desired this one only for three consecutive days…m so happy. Thank U so much.

  13. Manjula!
    What a wonderful website. Had I known about it sooner I would have been making my own paneer sooner. I want to know specifically what kind of milk I should use to get the flavor of paneer I find in Mumbai when I visit? Is it goat, buffalo or cow milk I should be using? And what percent? PErhaps it does not make a difference. Thank you for your quickest response. I so want to make this soon.

  14. Pingback: Homemade Indian Dinner | The Good The Dad and the Baby

  15. Hello Manjulaji–I made this for dinner two nights ago along with paneer from your recipe. It was so very delicious. I really appreciate you taking the time to put your recipes and videos on your website so everyone can learn to cook Indian food. I have tried several other Indian cooking websites and actual cookbooks but the food never turns out as good as yours. Also, the amount of salt is always perfect in your recipes!

  17. Nice one! I have tried a few of your recipes and they have come out well. Just a quick question on this one – why do we add yogurt to this dish?

    Thank you so much for your time.

  23. Made this for my grandmom who doesn’t eat onion or garlic. She normally eats the same bland paneer matar every week, so this was a lovely change for her. She was thrilled. It turned out perfect, and I like that it used curd instead of butter or cream. Somehow seems far healthier that way 😉

  24. Delicious..I like a little cinnamon and sugar too. This may be funny, but the dishes are the easy part; it’s the basmati that I can’t get just right and fluffy. It’s always sticky-what am I doing wrong?? I didn’t know rice could be so complicated.

  25. I tried Butter Paneer Masala and it came out well. My family loved it and this is the first time i made it. But it taste too sour and pls tell me what can i do to reduce it. I also add little sugar.
    Thanks for your lovely recipies .

    1. Hi Preethi- One of the reasons it can become sour is if you use the market paste for ginger…or else the yoghurt was too sour. Try subsituting this with fresh cream, as i always use fresh cream…u can also add a spoonful of honey..that also works for me…

  26. we are living in auckland, NZ and everytime i am watching your video and making new recipe for my family. we are very happy for ur suggestions. looking forward for it…

    Thank you.

  27. I had once eaten a sweet in india. and it was called PINNI
    it was so tasty and i can not find it in europe anywhere.
    is it possible to make this dish in my home. do you have any recepie for it. it was brown in colour and had gum inside it as well.
    was moth watering and i had understood it was also very nutritional.

  28. What did I do that made the end result a bit bitter? Is that why you offer the option of adding the sugar which i did not do?

    Thank you my special cooking friend!

  29. Manjula,

    My new BFF as the kids would say. We tried this tonight.

    I have never been able to cook the Paneer without it falling apart. We fried it a bit long, it got browner than yours but the dish came out fantastic!

    We like hotter food so I used one jalapeno and one cherry pepper without the seeds or pulp. Then added two of the small thin very hot green peppers the size of a pen cap and left in the seeds.

    Also used 1/2 cream and 1/2 Stonyfield (they are a customer of ours) Greek yogurt.

    All else was the same, I would have paid $20 for this dish in a nice copper bowl at a restaurant.

    Peace

  31. I have now made paneer and this recipe a couple of times and my family love it. I’m an orthodox Jew and your recipes work wonderfully for our lifestyle. My daughter loves to watch your videos, too! I’m looking forward to making more recipes from your site.

  32. Pingback: Paneer Recipes « lanbuseng

  35. HI
    I wanted to know what can i buy if i Can’t get Paneer.. I live in UK and I tried looking into supermarkets for Paneer.. Will any Hard, drained Cottage cheese will do the same??

    1. she’s jain, and in jain cuisine, onions and garlic are not used – …i don’t know, but I’d estimate anywhere between 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced finely and 1 onion, minced finely…especially for recipes like rajma, shahi paneer, etc. You would fry them initially with the oil, after adding the jeera (cumin), and before the tomatoes.

      1. Onions & garlic are not used in Buddhist cooking either, and I believe in orthodox Hindu, as well. They are considered impediments to meditation. Usually asafatoeda (hing) are used as a substitute. In my experience, the other spices make up for them not being used in that the food is delicious without it.

  41. Thank u MANJULA JI for being JAIN! because we also don’t eat ONION n GARLIC.I’m so thankful to u to open such a lovely website.After my daughter found this website and we discovered that you are not using onion and garlic I was so HAPPY I was not able to controll my HAPPINESS !!!!!!!! Now I open your website to know more and more RECIPES!!!!

  42. Dear Manjula,
    thanks for ur recipes. What is the difference between Shahi paneer and Paneer butter masala?…I see the same recipe for both…Please clarify

  44. Dearest Manjula,

    Long time ago you gave me courage to try cooking jalebi; ever since, I check your new videos now and again. I love the shahi paneer recipe, and you look lovely with your new hairstyle!

    Wishing you all the best from Massachusetts,
    Linda

  45. This was delicious as the main dish for dinner tonight. To make it vegan I used extra firm tofu in place of the paneer and soy yogurt in place of the cow’s milk yogurt. Last night I bought some hing in NYC and I loved being able to use it in this dish. Indian food lends itself very well to “veganization” so I look forward to making many more of your recipes.

  46. hello,mam…
    thanks for the good receipe..but in usa many problem beacuce here is not availabale KADAI ,..for any iteam in fry…so please help me how to make any dish in nonstick tawa….please….

  50. Hello Aunty !!

    Thanks for the wonderful receipe… My husband said who’s magic has started working in ur cooking. It’s you aunty.

    Can u please teach me how to cook Egg Briyani ?

  52. Wow. Just stumbled across this recipe, gave it a go, loved it so much I immediately cooked it again, this time doubling the amounts! We are sailors from the UK who have sailed to India via the Red Sea. We love cooking and always try the local dishes. Of course being Brits we love our curry and this recipe is being added to our scrapbook. Thank you!

  53. Thank you! You’re a great help. I’ve been looking for Indian recipes everywhere and yours is the most helpful and easy to follow.

    Please keep it up!

    Brinda

  54. I love the video! I’ve always been wary to try Indian recipes, since they usually take a lot of skill, but seeing how you cook it makes it look so easy and gives me a lot of confidence to try more Indian recipes! Thanks! 🙂

  56. Hello Manjula,

    I have to thank you for your helping in my cooking. I have been trying a lot and lot of cooking dishes from you website.

    I have learnt lot of new and my favorite dishes to cook.

    If you know pasta dishes, please post those items also.

    Thanks

  57. Husband usually is not fond of meatless main dish, but he enjoyed this. I did fry the cheese carefully so that it was all browned around the edges. He doesn’t like peas, so I soaked some dried green lentils for about an hour and tossed them in as soon as I put the tomato puree in the pot and I served it all over rice. I made your potato paneer appetizer, too. Very tasty meal and husband was quite satisfied even though there was no meat. If I keep cooking your recipes, we might end up vegetarians yet.

  58. Hello Manjula aunty,

    I live in Bangalore, India. I got married recently and I attained most of my cooking skills (remaining was from my mother) from watching you on this website. Thankfully, the dishes I do turn out well and are liked by my husband. All thanks to your simple-yet-delicious approach to cooking.

    I had one doubt about paneer dishes. Whenever I cook paneer, it turns out hard and not soft like we eat at restaurants. Why is it that in paneer butter masala, you deep fry the paneer and in kadhai panner you shallow fry them? what would happen if we don’t fry the paneer at all?

    I have also heard and seen many people cutting the paneer into cubes and putting them in lukewarm water and then frying. Does that help in making them soft?

    I would be greatful to you if you could help me with these queries. Being a bengali we don’t know much about paneer dishes, so my mom also will be waiting for your reply 🙂

    Thank you for all the amazing cooking that you have been doing and sharing with us for all these years.

    Love and Regards
    Anindita.

  59. Hi Manjula,

    my husband is fond of veg. pulao and veg, biryani as he is vegeterian i use to do my best to satisfy him with restaurant taste but i always fails.

    but believe me i tried ur receipes of veg. pulao and veg, biryani it cooked so delicious u know. my hubby loved it… and i think this credit goes to you…. thank u sooooo much..

  60. i am very fond of dishes , and i always prefer your dishes so keep making like this dishes and i wanted to say that if u can make something more of paneer i will be very glad to u specially shahi paneer thank you

  62. Hello,
    I have recently started watching the videos of your recipes.
    i saw one of the rajma and butter paneer masala.
    they came out really great.
    you haven’t used either onion or garlic in both of them..
    are we not supposed to use them in either recipes..
    surabhi

  63. This recipe was SO DELICIOUS. It was much better than what I usually get when eating out. I just served it to two dear friends and they loved it as well. Thanks so much for your great videos!!

  64. Thanks from Baton Rouge, Louisiana! It’s always nice to find a recipe that breaks away from the ordinary, and your recipe for paneer and Butter Paneer Masala really hit the spot, especially since I recently decided to take part in Meatless Mondays for health reasons. Also, this may sound strange, but Butter Paneer Masala also tastes FANTASTIC when served on cornbread.

  66. hey .
    Manjula Aunty when we will see your Mango ice cream recipe.. it’s being soo long since we saw your latest recipes.. Please , post some new recipes.

  67. hi how are you i would like to see some recipes if you send us by email i would be appriciated moong dal halwa

    and shahi paneer butter chikan thanks

  69. hi manjula ji
    thanks so much for your recipe
    i was wondering, i have to make butter chicken for a school project and wanted to ask cud we replace the paneer with chicken?
    thanks
    luv ur kooking

  70. Hi manjula ji and readers,

    i tried this recipe and used tofu instead of paneer .. it turned out well .. i didnt put any sugar as baby peas are abit sweet .. i added onions and garlic as well .. you are doing a great job manjula ji .. thnx 🙂

  71. hello Mrs, Manjula,
    I was just going through some recipes on Google, and i found your video clips interesting, your recipes are very simple and mouth watering. i study in the U.S in a suburb area where there is no Indian grocery store so i have to get someone to drive me to another city (Rochester) to buy my Indian supplies (EerrrrrR)!! I buy one of the paneer brands but don’t remember the name, whenever i fry them, they become rubbery and stick very easily to other paneer cubes. what can i do to avoid this?

    1. hi khilna..
      submerge the paneer in water and let it cook in microwave oven for 2-3 mins or put it in hot water for a few mins….it wud make paneer very soft and taste like paneer we get in india…or somepeople fry paneer and then put it in very hot water for a couple of mins ….it usually helps…hope it works for u too …

        1. sure netime……i had faced almost the same problem…iam new in US and hate the gopi and nanak brand of paneer we get here..but it helped me …neways take care n happy cooking:)

  74. hi manjula aunty,namasthiiii jiii,
    mam can u expalin me ,vl it gve an extra flavour r taste by addng methi leaves.i fried tha paneer as u mentioned bt
    tha paneer rough(hard)&can v add onion paste to thssss….all ur recipies r excellent keep rocking jiiii….thank u…

  76. Hello auntiji
    mai to apne desh se bahut door hoon maagar apka recipes deck to muh me paani aa jato hai…. thanks a lot for helping me to
    learn different dishes…..
    i am surewhen i come to you with many doubts u will be there to help me……
    HAPPY HOLI

  77. Good afternoon Mrs. Manjula– Could you tell me if I add the ground cashews, do you recommend toasting the cashews first or leaving them raw?

    Also a general bahut shukriya for all the work in testing these recipes, the measurements are always perfect!

    Happy Holi, and many thanks again,
    Kate

  79. Wow……this recipe seems to be great!! I ‘lll try it tomorrow for sure! I tried ur Kadhaayi Paneer recipe too…and it tasted really very good!!! My question is : Can we add onions also??? If yes, then how??? annd yeah, I want to learn Shahi paneer as well…..When will u teach us that???

    2. Here in the US I use Dannon brand. I prefer the whole milk yogurt over the low fat as the taste and consistency is better. I never use non-fat yogurt in raitas – it doesn’t come out good.

  82. hi manjulaji,
    i tried butter paneer masala and it came out very well. My family members liked it a lot. It is easy to make . It is quick to make .
    Thanks a lot.

  85. hi manjulaji
    why are you noy use oninon in any your recipe?
    we people like onion in all punjabi dishes
    so witch recipe you use onion ..tell me plssssssssssss
    thanks

    1. hi supriya, i read somewhere on majula Ji’s website that as she is jain and so she does not use onion and garlic and that is how jain people cook.She also mentioned that the real tastes of food is without onion and garlic as they overpower the real taste of he other ingredients.It is also good for health and easy on stomach for digestion.she does not have any recipes with onions (don’t think so).hope this helps.

  86. Thank you very much Manjula Ji for your recipes I have regularly been watching. We bengalies are normally nen-vegetarians but certainly follow some veg-days once or twice in a week for religious purpose. So, on those occassion your pure veg -recipes are really helping me a lot. Again a many many thanks from the bottom from my heart. Please keep posting recipes for us . Regards. Swati Roy

  87. Hello Aunty,

    Why is this dish called ‘butter’ panner when we dont use butter?
    Also I find that the process and ingredients for butter panner masala and mattar paneer are the similar except for the yoghurt in butter paneer masala. What is the diffrence?

  93. Hello Aunty,
    Just wanted to say thank you for taking your time to share with us your recipes.
    Love to videos, and you have a great selection of foods available.

    two thumbs up to you!!

  95. Hello Aunty ,

    Just loved this one , everything turned out beautifully . It almost had a professional touch to it . Now here is a recipe I can make without thinking twice .My husband though not a huge paneer fan , simply loved it . Thanks so much for this and all the other recipes , will let you know when i try some other recipes from your website . And the video and trascript together make it very easy for novice cooks like us 🙂

  98. Hi Dhairya,
    I have not found good Indo-Chinese recipes so far, although I love Indo-Chinese food.
    If ever I do locate some, I will pass the information along to you all. 🙂

  101. Hi Dhairya,
    I also don’t deep fry my paneer, BUT…what does work is to fry them in a non-stick fry pan with a thin layer of Pam oil spray (if you live in U.S. it’s easy to find).

    You can also add the paneer as is, without any frying.

    I haven’t tried baking or toasting paneer because it may dry it out too much – but if you want to experiment with a few pieces and see how it comes out, that’s what cooking is all about. 🙂

  102. Hi Manjula,
    I highly appreciate you in putting the effort to compose these videos extensively while paying attention to every little detail.
    I just had a suggestion for this recipe. In the beginning you fry the paneer pieces until they turn pinkish in colour. I just had an idea for the people who want to consume less oil. Instead of frying it, how about if we just sort of barbeque them in the toaster oven on the grill? i mean if the purpose here is just to get them a bit crispy and pinkish in colour then why not try this. moreover, everyone in north america has the toaster oven
    Just a suggestion
    keep up the good work.
    P.S- would it be possible to put up some videos cokking about chinese food. like vegetable manchurian or noodles or something.

  104. hi jaya
    thanks again, I am in the gulf, so I am not sure exactly where I would find it, but as u said maybe in large grocery shops , I will check with that, and I will let u know if I found that or not…:)

  105. Hi Eva,
    “Cilantro” is also called: “Chinese Parsley”, “Coriander”, or “Coriander Greens”. In Hindi it is called “Hara Dhania”.
    You can get it at any Indian grocery store, most natural health food stores if they carry fresh produce, and most American grocery stores.
    Just make sure you get “Chinese Parsley” and NOT the Italian type Parsley. The Italian Parsley that all American grocery stores sell cannot be substitued. It has a totally different flavor that doesn’t work with Indian spices.
    If you can’t get Cilantro/Chinese Parsley, just omit it from the dish.

  107. Hi Munna,
    I’m in the U.S. and cheese cloth is available in the kichen section of most larger grocery stores, or try stores like Linen ‘n Things or Wal-Mart. Natural health food store might also carry it.

  108. hi jaya
    thanx a lot for ur reply, i will try with wot u said…..is “cheese cloth” vailable in market? if yes which type of store should I look for it….?

  109. Hi Munna,
    Any clean, thin woven, cotton kitchen towel will work. You can use a type of towell called “cheese cloth”, but anything similar works fine. Don’t use thick bath-type towels.

  113. Hi manjula aunty

    yours is the best site I have seen because you know how to teach cooking very well, Pls i have a suggestion could you also try to include chinese didhes like chicken fried rice and other recepies and also pls include butter chicken…..thankyou:)

  115. I do not worry about what to cook every day, I just open your web site and pick the great tasting recipe you have. I have made Moong dal dosa. My family loved it.
    Thanks for great contribution.

  121. In U.S., “Asian” groceries stores usually imply Japanese, Korean, Chinese kind of Asian. Go only to “Indian” grocery stores. Even though India is in Asia, the term Asia almost always refers to the “oriental” countries.

    ANY “Indian” or “Inidan/Pakastani” grocery store will have Garam Masala. It’s too staple of an ingredient for them not too.

  122. Garam Masala

    8 cardamom pods
    2 indian bay leaves
    1 teaspoon black pepper
    2 teaspoons cumin seeds
    2 teaspoons coriander seeds
    5 cm piece of cinnamon stick
    1 teaspoon cloves

    Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods. Break the bay leaves into small pieces. Put them in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar with the remaining spices grind to a fine powder. Stor in a small airthight container until needed.

    Alternative:
    10 dried chillies
    5 cm cinnamon stick
    2 curry leaves
    2 tbsp coriander seeds
    2 tbsp cumin seeds
    1 tsp black peppercorns
    1 tsp cloves
    1 tsp fenugreek seeds
    1 tsp black mustard seeds
    1/4 tsp chilli powder

    – Dry-roast the whole dried red chillies, cinnamonsticks and curry leaves in a kharahi, wok or large pan over a low heat for about 2 minutes.

    – Add the coriander and cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, fenugreek and mustard seeds, and dry-roast for 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan from side to side until the spices begin to darken in colour and release a rich aroma. Leave the mixture to cool

    – Using either a spice mill or a stainless mortar and pestle, grind the roasted spices to a fine powder.

    – Transfer the powder to a glass bowl and mix in the chillipowder….

    As u can see there are lots of different recipes for Garam Masala.

  129. Hi! it looks so lovely the paneer butter masala. i would love to try but what is corn starch? i cant find it. Can i substitute with something else?

  130. Hey, my name is Priyanka, I watched your website recently while trying to cook Samosas. For the first time in life I made samosas and they were awsome. My husband liked them very much and since then I am your fan. I have watched almost all of the receips and made few dishes. Thanks so much and the best part is that you don’t use onions as well as garlic and still the food is amazing. Good Luck and keep adding 🙂

  132. Dear Manjula Aunty,

    I recently watched your website and got to know the live recipe of all the dishes I felt as if you are teaching me in my own kitchen being next to me. I use to watch many website where I could see only the recipes written only some time it comes out well. But your website is good to learn even for the person who is a starter to cook. I wish to know more recipe like masala puri, vegetable biryani and many more new recipes.

    Thank you auntyji,
    Priyaa

  135. Dear Manjula Aunty

    i found your site from youtube. I really liked your style and simple way. ilove to cook and love to try different food. I made cabbage pizza and paneer masala following your receipe and they tunred out really really good. Can’t wait to try more stuff. Please aunty post receipe for pani puri as it is really hard to find in nj where we lives. Thanks again for the all the hard work you are doing for the people who lives away from home.

  139. Dear respected manjulaji,
    y can’t I see this video as I haven’t tried this recipie also your chola tikkie recipie was great kids liked it they say thanks to u but would like to learn more vegtables & tandoori roti your style thanks & regards

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