Paneer Masala

Paneer Masala is an easy to make dish of paneer where paneer cubes are simmered in an onion tomato based spicy gravy. It can be paired with Indian bread or Jeera Rice. Here is how to make Paneer Masala Gravy at home.

Make restaurant-style paneer masala for your loved ones today and make everyone fall in love with your paneer dish with this easy delicious recipe. Paneer Masala is a North Indian curry with aromatic flavors of spices and paneer cubes.

You can make it for lunch, dinner or for a get together. Serve it with jeera rice, chapatti, parantha or naan as per your liking. It is a rich creamy paneer gravy which is easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of preparation. Let’s get you started with this super delectable recipe.

What is Paneer Masala?

Paneer masala is a North Indian paneer curry, made with onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste and aromatic spices. Whole spices are used to make this super delicious recipe. If you like Paneer Butter Masala Recipe, then I am very sure you will love this one too.

It is creamy and rich and pairs well with parantha and naan. You can also serve it with rice. It is important that you use whole spices instead of powdered ready-to-use ones to get the best results.

Paneer Masala Recipe

To start making this dish, we have to marinate the paneer with salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and keep aside for 15 minutes, so the paneer soaks up the spices.

Now heat a pan and add some ghee to it, to fry paneer pieces.

Fry the paneer on all the sides until golden brown. I used a cast iron grill pan but you can use a normal pan as well. If you want neat pieces of paneer, I suggest using a non stick pan to fry the paneer.

Make sure you don’t overcook the paneer, as it will become rubbery and lose its softness. Once done, remove paneer from the pan and keep aside.

To make the gravy, heat a pan and add oil and ghee in it. Combination of ghee and oil gives a very nice taste to the dish.

Once the oil is hot, add cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, dry red chillies, cumin seeds and hing and cook for a few seconds. I have crushed all the whole spices so that they release all their aroma in the oil.

Now add grated onion to the spice mix and fry until it turns slightly brown. Do this on medium heat as we do not want to burn the onion.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry until onion turns golden brown. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, gram flour and salt and cook for a minute on medium flame.

Now add grated tomato or finely chopped tomatoes and green chilli to the onion spice mix and cook until oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan. It will take 2-3 minutes for the oil to ooze out from the sides.

To get the consistency right, add a cup of water and cook for 2-3 mins. Now add fried paneer and kasuri methi and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add lemon juice and mix well. Switch off the flame, garnish with fresh coriander and voila your paneer is ready! Serve hot with roti, naan, parantha or rice.

How to make Paneer at home?

To make paneer at home, bring 1 litre full fat milk to a boil. Remove from heat and add 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar to the milk. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Now strain the curdled milk in a cheese cloth and press it with a heavy weight to drain extra water. Rest it for 1-2 hours until paneer is set. Now cut the paneer into cubes and use as required.

Tips for making Best Paneer Masala

Use best quality paneer to make this dish. In Indian you get paneer easily, but if you live in the US, Indian stores carry it all the time.

Kasuri methi gives a delicious flavor to this dish, so make sure you don’t skip it.

To make the gravy silky smooth, grind the masala to a fine paste. 

You can freeze the gravy for 2-3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw it at room temperature for 3-4 hours and then heat in a pan before serving.

To add a smoky flavor to this curry, keep a steel bowl in the pan with a piece of red hot charcoal in it and sprinkle some ghee on it. Close the lid immediately for the smoky taste.

You can add fresh cream to the Paneer Masala Gravy once it done for a rich flavour.

Add cashew nut paste for a richer flavour.

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Paneer Masala Recipe

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Print

Paneer Masala

Paneer Masala is an easy to make dish of paneer where paneer cubes are simmered in an onion tomato based spicy gravy. It can be paired with Indian bread or Jeera Rice. Here is how to make Paneer Masala Gravy at home.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 542 kcal

Author Neha Mathur

Ingredients

For marinating paneer

• 400 g Paneer Cubed
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

For the gravy

• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 2 Cardamom Crushed
• 2-3 Clove Crushed
• 5-6 Black peppercorn Crushed
• 1 inch Cinnamon Crushed
• 3-4 Dry Red Chillies
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Hing
• 1 cup Onion Grated
• 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
• 2 tbsp Roasted Besan
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup Tomato Grated
• 2-3 Green Chilli Slit into half
• 2 tbsp Kasuri Methi
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Coriander Chopped

Instructions

For marinating the paneer

1. Mix paneer with salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and keep aside for 15 minutes.

2. Brush a pan with ghee and fry the paneer on all the sides until browned.

3. Remove the paneer from the pan and keep aside.

For the gravy

1. Heat oil and ghee in a pan.

2. Once the oil is hot, add cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, dry red chillies, cumin seeds and hing and fry them for a few seconds.

3. Add onion and fry until it turns slightly brown.

4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until onion turns nicely browned.

5. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, besan and salt and fry for a minute.

6. Add tomato and green chilli and cook until oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan.

7. Add 1 cup water, fried paneer and kauri methi and cook for 2-3 minutes.

8. Add lemon juice and fresh coriander and mix well.

9. Serve hot with roti.

Nutrition Facts

Paneer Masala

Amount Per Serving

Calories 542 Calories from Fat 423

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 47g 72%

Saturated Fat 31g 155%

Cholesterol 85mg 28%

Sodium 433mg 18%

Potassium 387mg 11%

Total Carbohydrates 18g 6%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 6g

Protein 16g 32%

Vitamin A 24.4%

Vitamin C 83.5%

Calcium 54.6%

Iron 13.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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