Paneer Masala

"What is a party without a Paneer curry?", says a friend. I know a lot of people who subscribe to that thought. Until recently I was in the anti-paneer camp. I have recently taken a liking to paneer and have been trying to use paneer in a variety of ways which my family can appreciate. 

In my journey to re-invent the pleasures of paneer, here is one such delightful gravy to go with Roti, Naan, Kulcha or Paratha.
Check it out for Day 4 Week 1 of BM #27.

Ingredients -

Paneer 250 gms (I used 15 cubes)
Onions chopped 1 cup
*Tomato Puree 2 cups
Cashews 1-2 Tbsp
Milk 1/2 cup
Ginger 1 inch
Garlic 2-3 Cloves
Salt as needed
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Coriander-Cumin Powder(Dhania-Jeera Powder) 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder 1 tsp
Tomato Ketchup 1 tsp (optional - only for the color)
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Kasoori Methi 1/2 tsp
Oil 3 Tbsp (Divided use)
Coriander leaves few for garnish

*Tomato Puree - Soak 3-4 medium sized tomatoes in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water, cover with a lid and set aside for 5 min. Remove the tomato skin and grind into a smooth puree.
or
Microwave 3-4 medium sized tomatoes in 1/2 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for 3 min and set aside. remove the tomato skin and grind into a smooth puree.

Method Of Preparation -

In a heated wok/kadai, add a teaspoon of oil and saute the onions, ginger and garlic until the onions are translucent. Remove from fire and set aside.

Grind the cashews, the sauteed onions, ginger and garlic into a fine paste adding a little water if needed.

In the same wok/kadai, on medium heat, add the remaining oil, the pureed onion-cashew paste, tomato puree and let it come to a boil.

Add the turmeric, dhania-jeera powder, kashmiri chilli powder and tomato ketchup (Optional) and let the flavors blend in. Cover with a lid and let the gravy cook well until oil oozes out.

Add milk, crushed kasoori methi and garam masala and mix well.

Meanwhile, in a heated sauce pan, sprinkle some oil and saute the paneer cubes until they are light brown all over. 
[I have found that instead of frying the paneer cubes, they taste best when soaked in boiling water for 5 min. and used in the recipe.]

Remove from fire and slide them into the cooking gravy.

Reduce the flame to low and let the paneer cubes absorb the flavors of the gravy.

Remove from fire and serve it hot with Naan, Roti or Paratha and enjoy the silky gravy which is relatively less in fat !

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Preparation Time 45 min
Serves 4-5