There are some very well known dishes that are automatically identified with a particular cuisine or style of cooking. If you did a net search for such a recipe, you would get hundreds of matching results. Paneer Butter Masala is one such recipe. It has probably been blogged to death by now! So how is my recipe different? For one thing, it is a Paneer Butter-less Masala!
Paneer Butter Masala is a Punjabi dish, whose main ingredient is paneer, an Indian fresh milk cheese. The paneer is cooked soft in a rich, buttery and creamy reddish orange onion and tomato based gravy. It is typically eaten with flat breads like Chappathis, Naan, Paratha or Kulcha.
One of the significant parts or ingredients in Paneer Butter Masala is butter. It seems almost sacrilege to make this dish without it. I like to make it this way as it is healthier and easier on the body especially in warmer weather. While my butterless version might not be quite the same as the original, I promise that it is very, very good. Paneer Butter Masala is the ultimate paneer dish and the mainstay of many an Indian restaurant menu. Yet, very few actually do it right.
There was a time when I rarely cooked paneer dishes at home. We used to almost always order them when we ate out. Our daughter went through a rather long phase from toddlerhood onwards when she would order Paneer Butter Masala (PBM) every time we ate out. There would always be left overs and we would order our food adjusting to that. It got to a point where we would come to an agreement that she wouldn’t ask for PBM occasionally when we ate out. She’s over that PBM phase now, though she still enjoys it occasionally.
Paneer Butter Masala, or Paneer Makhani as it is known in Hindi is very rich because of the butter, cream and paneer in it. We prefer a lighter version. I use a very mildly flavoured oil instead of butter. Occasionally, I use oil with a dollop of butter for the flavour. Some recipes involve frying the paneer before adding it to the gravy but I add it directly to the gravy. Just ensure your paneer is really soft and not chewy in texture. Yogurt is substituted here for the cream. I mix the yogurt with a bit of cornstarch to prevent it from curdling when added to the acidic curry. Cashews (or almonds) and poppy seeds (khus-khus) lend the dish a beautiful creamy texture to the gravy.
This Paneer Butterless Masala is not any less in taste or texture, I promise you. There are some hall marks of a good Paneer Makhani, with or without butter. One is that it is typically mildly spicy, though reddish orange in colour, with a hint of tang. The colour comes from Kashmiri chilli powder, which is not very spicy but gives a lovely colour when used. Make sure your tomatoes are sweet with a hint of sour to avoid a very sour Paneer curry. This dish should not be sweet, though most restaurant versions tend to be. Home made paneer is the best because it is very soft. If you can find store bought soft paneer, that’s good too.
Paneer Butterless Masala
Ingredients
- 8 cashewnuts or almonds
- 250 gm low fat paneer cubes
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- 3 medium tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger paste paste
- 3/4 tsp garlic paste paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 pods cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick broken
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- to taste salt
- 3 tbsps yogurt
- 1/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in about 1/2 a cup of water for about half an hour.
- Heat the oil in the pan, add the finely chopped onion and sauté for a minute. Add the bay leaf, ginger and garlic and cook further, stirring frequently till the raw smell disappears. Now add the tomatoes and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Put the whole spices in a muslin or net pouch and add it to the pot. This will make it easier to fish out later. Also add the powdered spices and about half a cup of water. Salt to taste and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, till the tomatoes are cooked soft. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Drain the cashewnuts and discard the water. Put this and the cooled mixture in a blender and blend till it is smooth like a sauce. Return this to the pot with another half cup of water (adjust according to required thickness). Mix and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium and add the paneer cubes. Stir and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust for salt. If it tastes too sour, add a little sugar to balance this out. It should not turn the gravy sweet.
- Take the pot off the heat when ready. Once it has cooled slightly, transfer to a serving dish. Whisk together the yogurt and cornstarch till smooth. Use this to garnish the curry. In a small pan, lightly toast the Kasuri methi. Let it cool. Rub it in your palm and add to the curry.
- Stir well before serving. Serve warm with chappathis, naan or kulchas.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
Just pass me a naa and i will finish off the plate.Looks so yummy yumm.Love the colour too.
My diet is thanking you for the butterless version! I love PBM, as you call it, and this looks perfect 🙂
Looks creamy and delicious, love your version of paneer butter masala!!
Paneer butter masala looks so yummy ….. & less butter make it healthy too ….Nice picture
PBM looks yummy. I too almost make the same way ie butter less..Thanks for the cornflour and dusting paneer with APF tips.
this is one of our favourites too…yours looks absolutely delicious!
Very flavorful and delicious looking! A wonderfully spiced dish!Cheers,Rosa
Thanks everyone. I’m happy to know that evryone appreciates a lower fat version of this favourite. :0HC, I would if I could. Come to Goa and I’ll treat you. :)You’re welcome, Avanika and Jayasree.
My most favorite dish….loved ur bowl of curry…
hi aparna, i have BM it, you must be knowing why :), now a days when i look into recipes in the blogs and try them at home i always check with fat content in them, that is why baking cakes & cookies, i have to think twice, so i need to know who is there to eat it!, Your PBM as you call it is very interesting and looks very yummy too…., i have to be cautious with my age!
One of my very favorite dishes! I like this less fattening version. Sounds and looks wonderful.
A delicious looking spicy dish. Gosh I wouldn’t mind tucking into this right now mmmmmm
This is very different way to make the paneer masala. i have never used flour or yogurt with paneer. need to try it out. we are not very fond of paneer, except in some specific ways, but my kids LOVE paneer.
Lovely looking and perfect for naan.. feel to taste it.. looking rich , delish and creamy.
Lovely looking dish….butter less makes it all the more tempting.
its been a while since ive made this at home. Butterless just makes it all the more ‘want’-able!
guilt-free indulgence 🙂
Butter Naan with PBM is comfort food for me..I never get the restaurant style taste whenever we make it at home,precisely coz I skimp on all the fat and butter:).I love this butter-less Paneer and will surely try it out:)
Planning to make PBM for a long time..But sure iam going to make ur PB(less)M:)
I like the yogurt and cornstarch tip- I’ll be trying your version of this beloved dish soon! Thanks so much for playing along and doing the vegetarian 100 list. I just got a chance to read that post and left a comment there.
Looks really tasty! Took something like this to the bloggers’ meet last year, not sure if there was curds in it!
Your version is new to me Aparna.adding the yogurt-cornstarch mix is very intriguing.The dish looks hot and spicy and obviously restaurant style. GREAT
OK..now a paneer butter-less masala sounds too good to be true but you have done it! I like that yogurt plus cornstarch idea. Must thicken it along nicely.I think this version is unique enough to be documented for sure.
LOVELY! i’ll be so glad to dive straight in without thinking twice about growing horizontally 😀
Its the same with me, Jayasri now that I’m not getting younger either. :)Give it a try then, Soma. You might like it too. :)It is that, Nags.Divya, this one is close enough to restaurant style in taste.Let me know how you liked (or didn’t) it, Nupur.It was pleasure. I had fun doing it.Sra, now you’re making me wish I was a Chennai based blogger! :)Bharti, this doesn’t need the cornstarch to thicken it. The cashew paste does that.Ria, you’re lucky enough not to have to think of horizontal growth, like my daughter.I have to worry about it, unfortunately. 🙂
This gravy sounds so different. Cornstarch in yoghurt is a great tip! 🙂
Somehow i never liked the makhanwala gravies….and now that we are in Delhi we go to even greater lengths to avoid paneer and makhan ;)Your version looks much nicer!
Hi Aparna,How are you doing? Its been a while since I emailed or chatted with you. Busy packing. I like the idea of coating the paneer with flour to roast them. Will try this soon. The butter masala looks mouth watering.
I think I understand that, Miri. :)Yes it’s been a while, Srimathi. We get back after you’re settled.