Paneer Masala Recipe

4.04 from 29 votes

Paneer Masala is an easy-to-make curry where paneer cubes are simmered in an onion-tomato-based spicy gravy. It can be paired with Indian bread or jeera rice. Make this curry using my easy recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

Ingredients

For Marinating Paneer

14 ounces paneer 400 g, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons oil

For The Gravy

2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons ghee
2 green cardamoms (hari elaichi) crushed
2-3 cloves (laung) crushed
5-6 black peppercorns (kali mirch) crushed
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini) crushed
3-4 whole dry red chilies
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
2 teaspoons coriander powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoons roasted besan (chickpea flour, gram flour)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 cup grated tomatoes
2-3 green chilies slit into half
2 tablespoons crushed Kasuri methi
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Marinate The Paneer

Rinse paneer slabs and cut them into 1-inch pieces.
Mix the paneer pieces with salt, chili powder, and turmeric powder in a large mixing bowl and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Fry The Paneer

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Arrange the paneer on the pan in a single layer and fry from all sides until browned.
Note – Fry in batches if the paneer pieces are not fitting in a single layer.
Remove the paneer from the pan and keep it aside.

Make The Curry

Add oil and ghee to the same pan and heat over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, dry red chilies, cumin seeds, and asafetida, and fry for 5-6 seconds.
Add onions and fry until it turns slightly brown (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the onions are nicely browned (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
Now add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, besan, and, salt, and fry for 10-12 seconds.
Add tomatoes and green chilies and cook until the oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan (3-4 minutes), stirring frequently.
Now add 1 cup of water, fried paneer pieces, and Kasuri methi, and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times in between.
Finally, add lime juice and cilantro and mix well.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Serve hot with roti.

Video

Notes

Homemade paneer is naturally soft, but if you are using store-bought paneer which is a bit hard sometimes, add it to a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes. Squeeze and use in the recipe.

I have used a combination of both oil and ghee to make this paneer masala curry. You can use either of these or even butter. You can also make this curry in mustard oil or olive oil.

To make the gravy silky smooth, grind the masala to a fine paste. Add the paneer cubes at the last.

To add a smoky flavor to this curry, keep a steel bowl in the center of the pan. Keep a piece of red hot charcoal in the bowl and drizzle a teaspoon of ghee over it. Close the lid immediately and let the curry absorb the smoke for 10 minutes.

You can add unsweetened heavy cream (malai, fresh cream) to the paneer masala gravy once it is ready for a richer flavor.

You can also add cashew nut paste for a richer flavor.

Nutrition