Paneer Butter Masala

How food evokes memories! Each dish I cook has been learnt from someone and I always think of that person while cooking it. 

Many moons back, when I and my husband were still newly weds and living in the UK, a friend got married and moved there with his lovely wife, Sarika. 

Now I can't stop gushing about Sarika as she is a lady of many talents. She has a great sense of humor, is an amazing raconteur and is immensely creative. Our friendship has blossomed over the years, and I can't thank her husband enough for marrying her and bringing her into my life:)

When Sarika invited us for dinner for the first time, she cooked paneer butter masala and I was massively impressed. Though I had been married for a couple of years then, I was still a novice in cooking and she could cook exotic dishes as a new bride! It was time to learn :)

So this is how paneer butter masala made its way into my recipe booklet and has been a faithful friend since then. Whenever I cook this, I make a quick trip to those lovely days of yore.

Ingredients: 

Cottage cheese - 300 gms of cottage cheese

For the gravy:

Onions - 2 (peeled and halved)

Tomatoes - 4

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cloves - 2

Bayleaf - 2

Ghee (clarified butter) - 1 tsp

Cashew nuts: 8-10

Sugar - 1 tbsp - adjust according to taste

Salt - 1 pinch

Butter - 1 tablespoon

Kasoori methi - 1 tsp

Way to go:

1. In a cooker, put whole tomatoes, onions, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bayleaves and a teaspoon of ghee. Boil for 10 minutes or 1 whistle.

2. Sieve water and save it. Let the vegetables cool down. Peel tomatoes. Then grind mix  to make a fine paste.

3. Soak cashews in the saved water.

4. In a pan, add butter. When it warms up, add the ground paste and let it simmer on medium or low flame. Add salt. Keep stirring.

5. The mix will thicken in 15-20 minutes. Add cashew paste to it. Mix.

6. After a while, add milk and let it simmer a little more. You can also add the sieved water if the gravy looks too thick.

7. When the paste looks done, add paneer cubes and sugar. Let it simmer for 2 minutes. Add kasoori methi just before switching off the flame.

8. Enjoy the dish with hot parathas, tandoori roti or naan.

Notes:

1. Some cooks add food color to get a restaurant like look. I don't like to add any artificial color to my dishes. 

2. This dish can be cooked without onions and still taste great.

3. Paneer cubes can either be sautéed or kept raw. I generally add them raw to save time.

4. It's a very kid-friendly dish as most kids love paneer. It's also low on spices.

5. I like to make my own cottage cheese. You can easily make it or buy it to reduce cooking time.

6. If you keep the gravy frozen, you can quickly make a curry by just adding paneer cubes.