Wednesday, May 9, 2012

PANEER MAKHANI | PANEER MAKHANWALA | PANEER RECIPES

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I have posted various paneer recipes like Palak Paneer, Matar Paneer, Paneer Bhurji, Paneer Tikka in the past, as Paneer appears quite often in my weekly menu and I usually make it a point to include one paneer item in my menu when we have guests over. Coming to today's recipe, Paneer Makhani is one of the famous gravies of North Indian cuisine. The soft paneer and creamy delicious gravy pairs well with any Indian flat breads such as Naan,Kulcha,Roti or even simple Pulavs.
I always have this confusion about the difference between 'Paneer Makhani' and 'Paneer Butter Masala' and while my google search suggests that they are the same but somehow I find it difficult to believe that. Though the basic ingredients that go in the recipe are the same,I believe that 'Paneer Makhani' is basically the preparation of paneer in basic makhani gravy which is quite rich with cream and cashews while 'Paneer Butter Masala' is prepared in an overdose of butter laden spicy tomato gravy. While this is my interpretation, I am keen to know if any of you know the difference.
Paneer Makhani | Paneer Makhanwala Recipe:
(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
250 gms Homemade Paneer (or store bought),cut into 1" cubes
3 medium ripen Tomatoes
2 medium Onions,sliced
1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
1" Ginger,chopped
4-5 Garlic pods,chopped
12-15 cashew nuts or 1/4 cup Water melon seeds
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup fresh Cream(optional)
1/2 tsp home made Garam masala
1 tsp Kashmiri Red chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds powder
1/4 Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Kasuri methi
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Butter

Method:
  • Cut paneer into 1" cubes and immerse them in a bowl of warm water and cover it with lid until its usage.This process will keep the paneer pieces soft.You can even shallow fry them for a couple of minutes until they turn slight brown and then immerse in warm water.
  • Make a cross on tomatoes and blanch them in hot water for 3-4 mins.Remove the skin and chop them roughly.
  • Blanch the cashew nuts in the same hot water for a couple of minutes and remove them.Ignore this step if you are using water melon seeds.
  • Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry ginger and garlic pieces until slight brown,add sliced onions and fry until it is brown in color.Add a pinch of sugar while frying onion,it speeds up the caramelize process of onion.Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes.Add tomato ketchup,coriander powder,cumin seeds powder,turmeric powder and some salt and fry for a minute.Let this mixture cool a bit.
  • Grind the onion-tomato mixture to a very fine paste adding water if required.
  • Grind the cashews(or watermelon seeds) to a very fine paste using the same water in which it is soaked.
  • Heat oil and 1-2 tsp butter in a kadai/pan and crackle jeera and then add the pureed onion-tomato mixture into it and fry well until the masala leaves the oil in the edges.
  • Add the finely ground cashew mixture and mix well,let it cook for a couple of minutes.Add more water to get the right consistency.
  • Add red chili powder,garam masala and kasuri methi(slightly roast it on pan and crush it with your hands before adding) to it and mix well.
  • Meanwhile gently squeeze extra water from paneer pieces and keep them aside.
  • Now add paneer pieces to the gravy and simmer for 2-3 mins.Turn off the flame and let the gravy cool a bit.
  • Add milk to it and mix well and switch on the flame and stir in fresh cream and give a stir on low heat and boil for 2 mins.Add milk after the gravy is cooled a bit which avoids curdling the gravy.(Here I did not add cream to the gravy, I added only milk after I removed the gravy from heat)
  • Add 1 tsp butter to it and garnish with coriander.Adding butter at the end will enhance the taste.
Serve it hot with Roti's/Paratha's/Naan/Kulcha/Jeera chawal/pulao.
Notes:
  1. I added watermelon seed paste instead of cashew paste as the fat content in water melon seeds is comparatively lesser than the cashew nuts.More over the taste provided by water melon paste to the gravy is better than the cashew nut paste,it gives a particular dhaba style gravy.
  2. You can avoid cream in the above recipe and add little milk instead or completely avoid it for low-fat version.


In case you are interested check out  Paneer recipes both dry sabzi and gravy varieties in my blog :

44 comments:

Pavithra Elangovan said...

My way of gravy..i do the same way. And the difference you have specified is correct Prathy :) I am way too tempted before going to bed.

Reva said...

Paneer Makhani looks super yum... My all time favourite. This one truly tounches the spot.. lovely lovely dish..:)
Reva

Unknown said...

Water melon seeds instead of cashews? I am definitely going to try this. I always replace cashews with almonds (as they are good nuts :-)) in my gravies. Next time it is going to be water melon seeds.

Sudha Sabarish said...

Wow creamy side dish.Perfect to have with rotis.

Gayathri NG said...

Yummy makhani, looks awesome n nice pics...

anjana said...

Very smooth and rich gravy..loved the recipe

Kaveri Venkatesh said...

Delicious and looks mouthwatering..I always thought both Paneer Makhani and PBM are pretty much the same

Priya Suresh said...

Thats the brilliant idea of using watermelon seeds instead of cashews,sounds awesome Prathy...

Chitra said...

Lovely clicks. Abs mouthwatering dish :)

Saraswathi Iyer said...

Wow looks so delicious and yummy. Nice way to replace the seeds as you this dish is really heavy for cholestrol guys. Superb clicks.

Indian Khana said...

Looks yum, perfect and just so tempting ...adding watermelon seeds is nice and lovely pics gal

Unknown said...

truly delicious and mouth watering presentation!

notyet100 said...

Ummm yummy ,,,,,:) drooling,,,

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

Watermelon seeds sounds nice and i have never tried this.Drooling over this creamy gravy

cookbookjaleela said...

yummy gravy

Spandana said...

The gravy looks so rich and creamy!!! Beautiful pictures!

hotpotcooking said...

wow!!! Creamy and yum panner gray

Laavanya said...

Looks so creamy and delicious.

FewMinute Wonders said...

A very delicious recipe. I will look for watermelon seeds, are they available in Indian stores?

Spice up the Curry said...

wow looks so delicious

Radhika said...

Simply drooling at those lip smacking clicks.

Unknown said...

Creamy and yummy curry perfect with rotis and rice..looks tempting

Unknown said...

Looks absolutely tempting. What a great pic to go with, love it.

Mythreyi said...

Lovely color and Nice Clicks..


-Mythreyi
Yum! Yum! Yum!

Priya dharshini said...

Today,i made similar curry,yummy version with melon seeds..Nice click as always.

Kannada Cuisine said...

OOOOOOOOO..Makhani is making me hungry all over again :)

Savi-Ruchi said...

Looks like it is raining paneer in blogosphere. We are on calorie counting mode now, so staying away from paneer. I will indulge in all the paneer recipes as soon as we stop counting calories! Your makhani gravy is tempting me to stop counting calories right away :)

Sangeetha M said...

so delicious n perfect paneer makhani, recently i too tried it in similar way...yours looks so tempting...love it!!
Spicy Treats

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

mouth watering recipe and clicks...
have to try it..

Sravs said...

Nice creamy and wonderful gravy !!

Ongoing event
CC:Mom's Recipe

Hari Chandana P said...

OMg.. mouth watering here.. looks absolutely amazing dear.. Yummy !!
Indian Cuisine

Hamaree Rasoi said...

I am drooling here...and your conclusion at the end regarding Makhani and butter masala is right.

dassana said...

such a creamy dish. its nice to have with naans or kulchas. plan to make a paneer gravied dish soon.

Deeps @ Naughty Curry said...

love the colour... so rich and pretty

nisha said...

One of the best makhani recipe i have seen ,bookmarked it

Priyanka Agrawal said...

nice recipe dear. i also posted something similar many months or perhaps yr ago. urs looks very inviting.

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Gravy looks soooooo yummmmmmm...... love the color. Nice presentation.

Unknown said...

this looks crazy good. love your photos. i love paneer makhani but never made it, aaahhhh the fear or adding cream. nice!

sri said...

i have tried this one and this really good thank u

Anonymous said...

Too Good. Tried this and my hubby liked it so much :)

Vidya Nayak Shenoy said...

Thank u so much Prathibha... for this authentic recipe.. tho' have tasted this in restuarents .. it was not the same when prepared at home... n I was searching for the real recipe.. I've tried this now n its a hit at my place..Thanks once again..

Nidhi Shah said...

Hey Prathy!
I just came across your blog.. Good job I'd say!! We do have two things common - food & engineering :)
Per my understanding - the basic difference between paneer butter masala & paneer makhani is the way the gravy is prepared. Paneer Butter Masala has both tomatoes & onions in its gravy whereas Makhani gravy is prepared with tomato puree (I remember Chef Sanjeev Kapoor mentioning in one of the Master Chef episodes that makhani gravy does not have onions)..

Unknown said...

Hi ma'am I really salute you the way u present the recipe, today I made veg biryani of ur recipe, turned out good, I want u should get the prize for ur honest recipes, u don't hide the main crux, by follow ur recipe it turns out good, keep the good work, I am really Ur fan, now I don't browse any other cooking site

Anonymous said...

Hi Prathy,

Another blog is copying your images under the same recipe name: https://raindropstosunshine.blog/2018/01/31/quick-fix-paneer-in-creamy-sauce/
Perhaps you could contact them since it appears to be your Intellectual Property and shoots take time and effort. Hope you’re able to figure it out.

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