🍛 Paneer Butter Masala
Paneer butter masala is a rich North Indian curry of soft paneer cubes in a smooth tomato sauce enriched with butter, cream and ground cashews. Dried fenugreek leaves add a distinctive, slightly bitter aroma that balances the mild sweetness of the gravy. It is creamy and gently spiced, and is served with rice or flatbreads.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g paneer, cubed
- 30 g butter
- 400 g tomatoes, chopped
- 40 g cashews, soaked
- 100 ml cream
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
Method
- Simmer the tomatoes and soaked cashews with a splash of water for 10 minutes, then blend until smooth.
- Melt the butter, add chili powder and garam masala, and pour in the tomato-cashew purée.
- Simmer 10 minutes until slightly thickened; season with salt.
- Add the paneer and cream and heat gently for 5 minutes.
- Crush the fenugreek leaves over the top and serve.
How to make it lighter
- Halve the butter and cream; the cashews still give a creamy sauce. 1 tbsp butter ≈ 100 kcal.
- Use fewer paneer cubes and add steamed peas or bell pepper for volume.
- Serve with a measured portion of plain rice instead of buttered flatbread.
History
The dish is a vegetarian sibling of butter chicken, a style of tomato-butter gravy usually credited to Punjabi restaurant cooks in Delhi in the mid-20th century. It is now a staple of Indian restaurant menus worldwide.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →