Paneer Masala
by Tarla Dalal
paneer masala recipe | Punjabi paneer masala | dhaba style paneer masala | with 22 amazing images.
Our paneer masala recipe is a Punjabi paneer masala. The desi tongue drools at the sight of Paneer Masala. This is a simple paneer masala dish where paneer is cooked in a masala paste with onions. Paneer masala is a variation to paneer butter masala.
The rich hue, strong aroma and irresistible taste of this Punjabi paneer masala will make you addicted to it! The appearance, taste and mouth-feel of this sabzi are similar to what you get in restaurant style paneer masala, mainly due to the special paste used for the gravy!
In mood for some restaurant style cooking? Here we have a perfect recipe to give a kick to your taste buds which is dhaba style paneer masala. This is a super quick and easy recipe to make.
A succulent tomato-based gravy flavoured with an elaborate masala paste containing almost all the spices in your masala dabba together with onions, coconut, and other ingredients, plays host to cubes of soft, fresh paneer in paneer masala. Paneer absorbs the tangy flavours well, making the overall effect very enjoyable indeed.
A seemingly elaborate but actually easy recipe, paneer masala is an ideal accompaniment for jeera rice. Relish this paneer masala hot and fresh, with your favourite rotis or parathas. Lachha Paratha is a perfect match.
Learn to make paneer masala recipe | Punjabi paneer masala | dhaba style paneer masala | with detailed step by step recipe photos and video below.
Paneer Masala recipe - How to make Paneer Masala
Preparation Time: Cooking Time: Total Time:
Makes 4 servings
For Paneer Masala
1 1/2 cups paneer (cottage cheese) cubes
1 tbsp oil
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cream
salt to taste
To Be Ground Into A Smooth Paste (using Approx. 1/4 Cup Water)
3/4 cup roughly chopped onions
2 tsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
1 tbsp freshly grated coconut
2 sticks cinnamon (dalchini)
2 cloves (laung / lavang)
6 peppercorns (kalimirch)
6 whole dry kashmiri red chillies , broken into pieces
1 tbsp coriander (dhania) seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
5 garlic (lehsun) cloves
For Serving
parathas
For paneer masala
- For paneer masala
- To make {span class="bold1"}paneer masala{/span}, heat the oil in a deep non-stick kadhai, add the prepared paste and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the cream, ½ cup of water and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 5 to 6 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the paneer, mix gently and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Serve the {span class="bold1"}paneer masala{/span} hot with parathas.
Paneer Masala Video by Tarla Dalal
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For the masala paste for paneer masala
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To make spice-mix paste for paneer masala recipe | Punjabi paneer masala | dhaba style paneer masala | in a mixer jar take roughly chopped onions.
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Add poppy seeds.
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Add freshly grated coconut. If fresh coconut is not available, make use of desiccated coconut.
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Add cinnamon.
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Add cloves and peppercorns to enhance the flavor of the quick and easy paneer masala.
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Break the whole dry Kashmiri red chilies and add them to the mixer. More or less we have used all the whole spices that go into Indian garam masala and made a fresh spice paste to perk up the Paneer masala.
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Add coriander (dhania) seeds. It gives an earthy flavor the paneer masala paste.
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Add cumin seeds. As the name suggests ‘paneer masala’ this dish is flavored with a whole lot of spices. Try not to alter the quantity of these spices or else the flavors might imbalance and result in a strong, possibly bitter dis.
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Add garlic cloves. If you are Jain, then you can avoid the onions and garlic, but the overall yield will be less and you will have to add extra cream or cashews to balance the texture and flavors.
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Add around ¼ cup of water and ground into a smooth paste.
How to make Paneer masala
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To prepare paneer masala | Punjabi paneer masala | dhaba style paneer masala | heat the oil in a deep non-stick kadhai. Oil can be replaced with butter or ghee.
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Once the oil is hot, add the prepared paste.
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Cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
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Add the chopped tomatoes. Avoid unripe tomatoes as they will affect the taste of the dish, firm tomatoes with plum red colour are slightly sweet and ideal for this recipe.
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Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
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Add the cream. It gives a rich texture to the paneer masala gravy. If you want a creamier paneer masala then use more cream. If you do not like the creamy taste, then avoid adding cream.
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Add ½ cup of water. You can add more or less depending on the consistency you prefer.
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Add salt.
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Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 5 to 6 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Don’t forget to stir or else it will stick to the bottom of the pan.
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Add the paneer. If you like the paneer crispy, shallow fry them lightly before adding to the gravy. For a vegan alternative, use tofu instead of paneer.
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Mix gently and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. If over-cooked the paneer will become chewy so if you are not serving immediately then do not add the paneer cubes.
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Serve paneer masala | Punjabi paneer masala | dhaba style paneer masala | hot with parathas.
| Energy | 298 cal |
| Protein | 8.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.5 g |
| Fiber | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 25.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Vitamin A | 522.3 mcg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.1 mg |
| Vitamin B2 | 0 mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 0.3 mg |
| Vitamin C | 15.1 mg |
| Folic Acid | 14.5 mcg |
| Calcium | 307.3 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg |
| Magnesium | 9.1 mg |
| Phosphorus | 176.4 mg |
| Sodium | 15.2 mg |
| Potassium | 122.5 mg |
| Zinc | 0.2 mg |
Thank you for such an amazing recipe... I always thought good paneer gravy can be only made by hotels.. but your recipes are a great help to amateurs as well. Grateful 🙏
yummy food. the colour of the preparation was so tempting!!!
thanx for sharing this palak paneer recipe, my family is crazy for palak paneer , this is so easy n looks delicious.
Edited after original posting.
Thanks so much, my Paneer Masala recipe was so yummy. Your recipe is very simple to follow. surely I will share this recipe to my relatives. My family will enjoy it. Thanks
Edited after original posting.
What are the calories in 1 serving of paneer masala
This paneer subzi recipe is very quick. Paneer is everyone''s favourite at my place and they just loved this recipe. Served it with butter naan and it was a wonderful combination.
Good