Paneer Butter Masala | Restaurent and Dhaba Style | Tips To Make Perfect Creamy Gravy

I just happened to make this, because I wanted to use an open tub of fresh cream. Yes Paneer Butter Massala cannot be made without cream. If you want authentic real restaurant style gravy I will say please don’t skip cream.

How Paneer Butter Masala does taste like?

Very lightly spiced, tomato based gravy; thickened with cashews, cream and butter (ofcourse!). It is an indulgent dish, something in which you shouldn’t count calories or fat. For same reason it is also called as Paneer Makhani or Makhani Vale Paneer.

How to make restaurant style Paneer Butter Massala at home?

Yes, it is very easy to make restaurant style Paneer Butter Massala at home if you keep in mind the following tips.

-Do not overboard the gravy with spices and masalas. It has to be subtle. So if you use kitchen king masala power or any other spice powders, then stop it.

-Use nuts to thicken the gravy. Cashews are the best choice. You can use almonds too, but in that case soak the almonds and remove the skin. Again, do not go crazy with nuts too; you do not want super thick gravy.

-Put the paneer in the hot water and let it sit there for 20 minutes. This will soften the paneer and you will have that melt in mouth paneer cubes.

-Use butter and cream (full fat). There is no alternative for these too if you want good true paneer butter massala.

-To get that beautiful colour, use Kashmiri red chilli powder.

-Lastly use garlic, onion and tomatoes also in limited quantity. You do not want any of this to overpower the whole gravy.

How to make Dhabha style Paneer Butter Massala at home?

Okay, so those of you don’t know, dabha is a roadside restaurant in India. You will see so many dabhas on the highways, serving local cuisine. They are most commonly found next to petrol stations, and most are open 24 hours a day.

To make dabha style paneer butter masala you need to apply dhungar method or coal method. Here basically you heat up a piece of a coal till its red hot. Then place this charcoal in a steel bowl and place the bowl on the top of the paneer gravy. Add around ½ teaspoon of ghee on the coal and you will see smoke or fumes coming out it, immediately cover the pan with the lid and let it sit there for 2 minutes. Then remove the bowl and discard the coal. This method will give you that smokey paneer effect you get in the dhabha.

Is Paneer Butter Masala Healthy?

No absolutely not. Unlike other paneer dishes such as palak paneer or mutter paneer this paneer dish is loaded with calories and fat. It is not everyday kind of a paneer subji either –it is a royal treat that you can have once in a while.

What are variations to Paneer Butter Masala?

Over the years, trying paneer butter Massala at various places in india, UK and many European countries I have learnt some variations and I would like to share that with you all.

You can add makhane (fox nuts) in the gravy and it tastes good with paneer.

I have seen restaurants even adding peas (matar) with paneer gravy and it was a good twist too.

But my most favourite combination has been chunks of bell peppers in the paneer makhani gravy and in my recipe I have added it. (Feel free not to, but I promise there is something so magical about this variation).

Let us move to recipe now.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon oil

1 bay leaf/tej patta

2 green cardamom/elyachi

½ inch cinnamon stick/dalchini

5-6 cloves garlic/lehsun, roughly chopped

1 inch piece of ginger/adrak, roughly chopped

1 large onion/payaz, roughly chopped

3 large tomatoes/tamatar, roughly chopped

7-8 cashews/kaju

4 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder

½ teaspoon garam Massala

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

¼ cup cream

Water as needed

250 grams paneer chopped

1 capsicum chopped into cubes

2 teaspoons kasturi methi

1 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped.

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, green cardamom and cinnamon. Let it sit in oil for 20 seconds. Reduce the heat to slow.

Add in chopped garlic, ginger and onion. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and cover it with the lid. Cook till onions turn soft and there is no raw smell.

Add tomatoes, cashews and around ¼ cup of water. Cover and cook again till tomatoes release the oil and it becomes soft and mushy.

Let the tomato mixture cool down and then grind it into smooth paste.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Throw the tomato mix in the butter. Add in it kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, garam masala and salt to taste. Mix it all well. Add ¼ cup water. Cover and cook again for 5 minutes till you gravy bubbling up and leaving oil on the sides.

After 5 minutes, slowly add in the cream and sugar. Mix and let it cook covered for 7-8 minutes. You must see shiny creamy gravy. Have a quick salt test to see if you need anything.

In the meantime on a separate pan, heat ½ teaspoon butter and sauté paneer cubes till you see some light golden colour on its skin (do not over roast the paneer). In the same pan also roast bell pepper (capsicum) till you see some cooked or burnt spots on its skin. Set both aside.

Throw in paneer and capsicum in the gravy. Add ¼ cup water. Let it simmer covered on slow heat for 5 minutes.

Finally add in kasturi methi and coriander leaves.

Serve with dollop of remaining butter on the top. And swirl of some fresh cream.

Dry Paneer Bhurji |Without Tomatoes|For Weight Loss|

Paneer as you know is the crowd pleaser ingredient for vegetarians. There are so many ways and recipes in which you can use paneer -right from starters to sides, to even desserts. Some of the paneer dishes doesn't even need any introduction such paneer dishes are either cooked at home or eaten at a dhabha as Mutter Paneer, Paneer ButterMassala and Palak Paneer.

Then are some paneer dishes that you always eat at a restaurant such as Kadai Paneer, Achaari Paneer, Paneer Tikka Massala and Paneer Kofta. Today I shall talk about Paneer Bhurji. What is Paneer Bhurji? Paneer Bhurji is a popular north Indian dish made with cottage cheese, with spices (massala) and with or without veggies. It is eaten with roti, paratha, naan, puri, kulcha, bhatura, bread, pav or as a side dish. It is also used as a stuffing for sandwiches, kathi roll, frankies, pitta bread, paratha and bread rolls.

Is paneer healthy? Can we eat paneer every day? Is paneer good for weight loss? After a quick google search and speaking to a friend who is a dietician and a nutritionist  I have come up to the conclusion that paneer is a power house of protein, healthy fats and is very low on carbohydrates. It is recommended for weight loss only if you make it in a healthy way that is not by deep frying and also using lots of vegetables in the process.

When I initially started cooking paneer bhurji, I saw so many recipes and videos of Sanjeev Kapoor, Ranveer Brar, Harpal Singh etc but slowly I understood that you need to decide as an individual what you want in your paneer bhurji. Paneer Bhurji is one such paneer dish that is super healthy and can be altered in so many ways. You can use onions garlic or not. You can use capsicum (I love to use) or not. Some people like it with gravy, I just prefer it dry. You can add veggies like corn, peas, spinach etc to make it even healthier.

You can put together fresh paneer from scratch for this recipe, I like to use store brought ones. In the market you will find two types of paneer-one will be soft white paneer and other will be slight yellowish paneer (bit hard, that looks like a block of cheddar cheese) -use that hard one for paneer bhurji recipe. Reason, because hard paneer is easy to grate and when it cooks it doesn't become a mushy mess. Also if you are using frozen paneer, give a good boil in the pan full of water, when it cools down-grate and use.

I use very basic daily spices and powders to make this. Also I don't like to use tomatoes as well. so Let's see how to make paneer burji.

Ingredients:

1 cup grated paneer

1 medium sized onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic grated

1/2 capsicum chopped

1 green chilli chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons oil                      

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon kasturi methi

1/4 teaspoon hing

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon garam massala

Red chilli powder as per taste

Salt as per taste

Coriander leaves for garnish

1/4 cup water

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, when it is hot add in hing and cumin seeds. Let it splutter.

On a slow heat add in garlic and onion. Cook till there is now raw smell and onions become soft.

Add in capsicum and cook it till it turns soft.

Add in grated paneer. Mix in all the spices-salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Also throw in green chilli. Mix well.

Add in water and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes and mix in kasturi methi and garam massala. Mix and let it cook for another 2 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Notes:

If you want to have gravy, after onions, garlic and capsicum is cooked add in 2 chopped tomatoes. When tomatoes are done follow the remaining steps and paneer bhurji with gravy will be ready.

Some recipes call for pav bhaji or kitchen king massala, I just feel that these massala over powers the actual taste so I avoid using it. Feel free to add if you wish.

You can make stuffed parathas with this bhurji and also use it as stuffing for sandwiches and rolls.

Achari Paneer

Achari recipes are becoming very popular these days. Almost every Indian restaurant will have some achari dishes in the menu. Honestly it is a great way to bring twist to plain old simple recipes. Achari taste is robust of flavours. Easy but would give an impression that you have taken lot of efforts.

Achari or pickled spices are the mix of mustard seeds (rai), fenugreek seeds (methi), nigella  seeds (kalonji) and fennel seeds (saunf). These spices are not hot or spicy infact they are bitter in taste and have very strong aroma. You need to dry roast these spices and then use it, this then helps to give curry a very unique and piquant taste. I like to grind the roasted spices into fine powder, but you can use whole or coarse powder as well. 

Today I have made Achari Paneer, it is a dry (suki) vegetarian side dish with indian breads such as puri, paratha or chapati and goes well with rice and daal as well. Don’t let ingredients list intermediate you, this curry is indeed easy and worth all the steps.

More Achari Recipes:-

Achari Gobi 

Achari Bhindi

Achari Baingan

Achari Mirchi

How to make Achari Paneer

Ingredients:

(For Achari Massala)

1 whole red chilli

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds/rai

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi dana

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

1/2 teaspoon nigela seeds/kalonji

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

(For Gravy)

1 ½ cups paneer

1 onion medium size chopped finely

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

3 tablespoons yogurt/dahi

2 tomatoes

1 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust as per taste)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

2 tablespoons oil + 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves to garnish
Kasturi Methi to garnish (optional)

Method:

Take all the ingredients listed in Achari spices and dry roast in the pan on very slow flame/heat. Let it cool down and grind into fine-corase powder.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add the paneer and fry it. Make sure that paneer turns golden on all sides. Set the paneer aside.

Heat the remaining oil. Add ginger garlic paste. Sauté for one minute.

Add chopped onions. Saute for one minute or till onions are cooked properly.

Add chopped tomatoes. Throw in salt, turmeric, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Cover and cook till massala is cooked and tomatoes turned soft.

Take yogurt in a separate bowl. Mix in Achari massala. Whisk properly.

Slowly mix the yogurt mix into tomatoes gravy. Stir continuously for 1 minute.

Throw in paneer. Mix. Cover and cook till massla is well coated on paneer.

Garnish with kasthuri methi and coriander leaves.

Low Fat Chilli Paneer : Indo Chinese Recipe

Chilli Paneer. Cubes of paneer coated in spicy indo-Chinese sauce. Indo Chinese is Indian style Chinese food.  This started as a popular street food in India and later on even restaurants started putting it on the menu-such is the taste and popularity of this dish. There are two ways it is made. Dry style, in which paneer chunks are only coated in the sauce.  Other way is with gravy wherein the sauce is kept liquid. Dry chilli paneer is mostly served as snack, starter or appetizer; whereas wet chilli paneer is served as side with fried rice or noodles. 

This is one dish that always pops in my mind when I am in hurry and guests are coming over for lunch or dinner. Because its easy and quick you don’t need much time to prepare it and because it is popular every guest will love it. So, ideal recipe involves frying paneer cubes and then mixing it in the sauce but I don’t like this method as it makes paneer very hard and rubbery. Here is my way to make Low Fat Chilli Paneer.

Ingredients:

225 grams paneer cut in cubes

1 capsicum/bell pepper, cut in cubes

1 onion large, cut in cubes

4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

2 green chillies, slitted

Black pepper powder, to taste

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon soya sauce

½ tablespoon chilli sauce (red/green)

1 tablespoon corn flour

¼ tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1-2 tablespoons chopped green onions (green part only)

Method:

Boil 2 cups of water and add paneer cubes in it. This will make paneer soft. Drain water and keep aside.

Mix 4 tablespoons of water in corn flour and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan or wok. When oil gets very hot add garlic and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.

Add slit green chillies and chopped onion. Saute for 10 seconds.

Next throw in chopped capsicum. Sauté for 10 seconds.

Add salt, sugar, black pepper, soya sauce, chilli sauce, lemon juice and corn flour mixture. Cook it for 30 seconds.

Throw in paneer cubes. Mix well so that paneer cubes are coated well with spices and sauce. Keep it covered for 1 minute.

Check salt and heat level. Adjust if needed. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

Notes:

Never add too much salt, remember soya sauce and chilli sauce also contains salt.

Make sure that you don’t overcook capsicum and onion. They should be bit crunchy.

Chinese food is cooked on high heat, this gives good smokey flavour. Do not leave it unattended.

Palak Paneer: Punjabi Dhabha Style

A green recipe for today.

A popular one.

A Punjabi recipe.

No its not saag.

It has paneer.

Oh now I have said it all. Yup it is Palak Paneer. Put three Ps together –Punjab, Palak and Paneer and you know one is talking about Palak Paneer. So palak paneer is northern Indian delicacy made with palak (spinach) and paneer (cottage cheese). Honestly there is no right or wrong way to make this curry. Some like to use boiled and purred palak in the gravy; some use chopped spinach while some put coarsely purred spinach as well. In the restaurants here in the UK I have noticed huge chunks of paneer are used in medium spicy spinach gravy (coarse spinach). Back in India the spinach is grinned into a smooth paste and later mixed with tomato gravy.

Looking for more Paneer Recipes? Check these out:

Paneer Kofta (fried paneer balls in tomato gravy)

Achari Paneer (Paneer curry in spicy pickled spices)

Palak Mutter Paneer (combination of spinach and peas in tomato gravy)

Paneer Corn Bhurji (grated paneer with chunks of corn)

Hydarbadi Paneer (paneer stir fry with bell peppers)

Paneer Butter Masala (paneer in creamy and rich tomato gravy with butter and tomatoes)

Kadai Paneer (paneer cooked in wok with whole spices)

Paneer Tikka Masala (marinated paneer chunks coated with spicy garlic gravy)

What I share today is the authentic dhabha style Palak Paneer. Whats dhabha? Dhabha are typical roadside restaurants (rural) mostly present on the highways in India. If you ever take road trip in India, you will surely find at least one dhabha on the highway. Food served in dhabha is simple and flavorful. Simple in terms of menu, you will find basic menu, no exotic dishes. Flavorful because they don’t compromise on taste-the food is richly spiced with garlic, spices and lot of oil and butter. So if you want dhabha style cooking, don’t shy from adding oil or butter. Some recipes are good with calories-worth it, I promise.

I clearly remember that taste. Papa, mummy, my brother and me- we stopped at a dhabha in Jhalander (city in Punjab) and ordered Palak Paneer , Plain Kulcha and Aloo Subji. It was a cold night. We sat on a khaat (Indian rural style bed) and between was a wooden patta (plank) on which they served food. After placing the order, the waiter came with a steel jug of water and four glasses. Second round, he placed some chopped onions, pickle and spicy garlic chutney.  After 20 minutes of wait, the food arrived. Piping hot kulchas, aloo subji and palak paneer.  Maa, look how much oil they have added in palak paneer, I told my mother. My mom grabbed a spoon and gave palak paneer a quick mix. Now oil is not visible she said. I smiled.

First bite of that curry was burst of amazing flavors in my mouth. Lot of garlic, ginger julienne, spice from whole red chillies, tang from chopped tomatoes and velvety paneer- all mixed and made into scrumptious Indian subji. This is the best thing ever, my brother said as he licked his fingers. Last weekend, when I was on call with mummy, we were recalling that taste. She gave some instructions and tips and then I dared to make that tasty Palak Paneer.

This is my replication of the Dhabha Style Palak Paneer.  Pair it with any Indian roti, paratha or puri. Even good old basic jeera rice taste very nice with this.

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach/palak chopped

1 cup paneer chopped in cubes

1 large tomato

1 medium size onion
2 green chillies

10 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger chopped in juleins

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon ghee

2-4 whole red chillies

1 cinnamon stick/dal chinni

1 bay leaf/tej patta

½ teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

¼ teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon garam massala
Salt to taste
Water 4 cups

Method:

Put 4 cups of water to boil. In it add chopped spinach. Boil for 2 minutes. Strain the water and keep aside. Puree spinach and green chillies coarsely.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, whole chillies and cinnamon. Let it cook for few seconds.
Add chopped onion. Cook till onions are soft and transparent.
Add chopped tomatoes. Mix in turmeric powder and coriander powder. Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes.
Mix paneer in the tomatoes gravy. Cook covered for 2 minutes.
Add in purred gravy, salt, garam massala and lemon juice. Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
In a seprate pan Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. When hot, saute chopped garlic and mix in the gravy.
Finally mix in ghee and ginger julienne. Cover and turn off the heat.
Serve.

Notes:
I used baby spinach, but you can use spinach bunch as well.
Green chillies and whole red chillies will bring the spice. You can add more red chilli powder if you like it hot curries.
The paneer I used is very soft so I just added in the curry. If you wish you can put paneer in hot water and then use it.

Mutter Paneer Bhurji, Quick Side Dish

The cursor is blinking and I have no thoughts in my mind that I can type. So before I began to talk about the winter moods or the same basic old stuff, I would like to share the pictures of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, marking 100 years of World War. Each ‪‎poppy represents a British military fatality during the war. Crowds were crazy out there and we went on Sunday (Remembrance Day) but it was so much worth it. To find out more read here.

Moving straight to the recipe of Mutter Paneer Bhurji. When you are in hurry then this subji comes handy. I have made palak mutter paneer bhurji before-it was the combination of two classic paneer dishes- mutter paneer and palak paneer.

Burji means scrambled –yes just like scrambled eggs. Resembling corn paneer bhurji recipe, this too is very simple and quick. Boil up the milk; curdle with lemon juice; strain the water and you are good to go. On weekends when we want to enjoy the royalty of paneer without wasting lot of time and energy I head on and prepare paneer bhurji. Add in any vegetables of your choice, some basic Indian spices and dash of homemade garam massala- that’s it- a quick and creamy side curry is ready.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup frozen peas/mutter

1/2 teaspoon turmeric/haldi

1/2 tablespoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder/lal mirch

1 tablespoon oil/tel

1/4 teaspoon carom seeds/ajwain

Pinch asafoetida/hing

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 finely chopped onion/pyaz

2 chopped green chillies/hari mirch

1 tablespoon garlic-ginger paste/adrak lehsun

1 teaspoon dry mango powder/amchur

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan. When it bubbles appear add in lemon juice. The whey and fat will be separated. Take a sieve or a piece of cloth and strain the water of the fat. Add cold water so that lemony taste of paneer is faded. Keep pressing the cloth till no water is left.
2. Heat oil in a pan. When hot add in asafoetida, carom seeds and cumin seeds. Add ginger garlic paste, green chillies and onions. Cook till onions are cooked and raw smell remains.
3. Add in frozen peas and half cup of water. Cover and cook till peas are soft.
4. Mix in all the spices and paneer. Mix and cook cover for 8-10 minutes.
5. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:

I used full fat milk you can use anyone you like.

Replace lemon juice with vinegar or yogurt to curdle the milk.

You can add any veggies in this curry, like tomatoes, carrots, corn, bell peppers or even spinach.

I used frozen peas, go ahead and use fresh peas as well.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with any Indian bread or rice.

You can make the complete Punjabi thali- , aloo chole, dal makhani, jeera rice and kulchas.

For rajasthani thali pair it with aloo pyaz ki subji, marwadi lehsun ki chutney and marwadi Bharwa Bhindi.

For gujarati thali, serve it with aloo tamatar nu shaak, khamman dhokla and keri nu ras.

Mutter Paneer, Indian Cottage Cheese And Green Peas Curry

If you are a vegetarian, I am sure you must be in love with paneer dishes. Why not after all the good old Indian cottage cheese is such a versatile ingredient that is used in all the way- be it dessert, soup or main. Who thought that plain, simple white milk could be turned into one magical product? Having guest at home or having a special occasion to celebrate, paneer dish is always in our menu-do you also have same story? If yes below are some Paneer dishes that I have prepared-

Sweet:

Paneer Chocolate Sandesh (chocolate balls with paneer)

Kesar Paneer Kalakand (mashed paneer mixed with saffron and nuts)

Starters/Appetizers:

Paneer Tikka (Marinated and roasted paneer)

Paneer Pudhina Tikki (Paneer patties with chopped mint leaves)

Tomatoes stuffed with paneer ( grated paneer and spices stuffed in baby tomatoes)

Palak Paneer Paratha (Indian flat bread stuffed with paneer and spinach)

Main/Side:

Paneer Kofta (fried paneer balls in tomato gravy)

Palak Paneer (Healthy paneer dish with spinach and cream)

Achari Paneer (Paneer curry in spicy pickled spices)

Palak Mutter Paneer (combination of spinach and peas in tomato gravy)

Paneer Makai Bhurji (grated paneer with chunks of corn)

Hydarbadi Paneer (paneer stir fry with bell peppers)

Paneer Butter Masala (paneer in creamy and rich tomato gravy with butter and tomatoes)

Kadai Paneer (paneer cooked in wok with whole spices)

Paneer Tikka Masala (marinated paneer chunks coated with spicy garlic gravy)

.......But one paneer dish that is very common and is one of the most popular ordered dishes in the Indian restaurants is Mutter Paneer. Mutter in English means peas and Paneer as we know is Indian cottage cheese; both these ingredients are cooked in rich tomato garlic gravy with the hint of coriander leaves and are then called as Mutter Paneer. The fried chunks of paneer and soft peas smothered in spicy gravy are so magical and perfect that you are ought to enjoy it. Serve it with plain rice, parathas or chapatti.Every home and restaurant has its own way of preparing this curry, but I am sharing the old and traditional method.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cubed paneer/ Indian cottage cheese
1/2 cup of peas/mutter (frozen or fresh
1 large onion/pyaz
2 cloves garlic/lehsun
1 1/2 cups tomato puree

1 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder/dhainya
1 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi
2 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder/lal mirch

1 teaspoon cumin seed/jeera

1 bayleaf/tej patta
1 teaspoon garam massala (recipe HERE)

2 1/2 tbsp oil 

Salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves for garnish (optional)

Method:

Heat t teaspoon of oil in a pan and roast paneer peices till they turn golden.

In a grinder grind onion and garlic to paste.

Next, heat remaining oil in the wok/kadai. Add cumin seed and bay leaf. Let seeds splutter.

Mix the onion garlic paste in the wok. Cook on medium low heat till raw smell goes.

Add in tomato puree and cook till mixture reduces to half and oil is separated.

Add all the spices with 1/2 cup of water. Cook covered for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Finally add in cubes of paneer and peas with 1 cup of water.

Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes on low heat.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:

If you are using fresh peas, boil them separately and then add to the gravy.

I used kashmiri red chilli powder, it is very less spicy but gives great red colour. You can use any red chilli powder; just make sure you adjust the quantity depending on its heat level.

I used 2 large tomatoes puree. You can use 1 can of tomatoes instead.

Onion and garlic is optional.