PANEER BUTTER MASALA

PANEER BUTTER MASALA

The name Paneer butter masala it self makes my mouth water. This might be a traditional North Indian dish but its famous & very common dish all over India. Even outside India if you have eaten in restaurants you would always find this in the menu. As the name suggests its lot of paneer in cream & buttery gravy. Believe me it tastes yum!! but a little heavy too. So whats the idea to make really same good tasting paneer butter masala but light so that you can enjoy it guilt free. well you wouldn't have guessed my secret ingredient here. Its dried LIMA beans. Yep!! you heard it right.

I think the great way to make a thick rich gravy is not by heavy fat or dairy products but from ingredients that do not have their own flavor but can easily mingle in the dish as we want. That's what lima beans does here exactly. Its buttery, smooth & has no distinct flavor so it marries well in the dish. Not to forget they are high in fiber.

My version of paneer butter masala has 3 steps:
1st white sauce
2nd tomato gravy
3rd combining the 2 with paneer

I don't hv cream in my pantry all the time so this white sauce takes the place of cream pretty well. This entire step can be skipped & replaced with 3/4 cup of heavy cream. But my method doubles the qty & doesn't feel heavy.

So here goes the recipe

RECIPE:

INGRIDIENTS:
For white sauce (cooking time 3min)

1Tbs of Butter
1Tbs of Maida / All purpose flour
1/2 cup of milk
100 grams dried lima beans( soaked in water for atleast 2 hrs)

For the tomato gravy (cooking time 15 min)

400 Gms of Paneer
2 medium onions
5 large tomatoes
2 Tbs ginger garlic paste
10 Cashews
1/2 cup of water
1 Bay leaf
1/2 Tsp garam masala
1 Tsp coriander powder
1 Tsp chilli powder
2 Tsp kasuri methi
1Tsp Kashmiri chili powder
1Tbs Butter
1Tbs Oil
salt to taste

METHOD:
For white sauce

1. In a sauce pan put butter & after its melted add flour whisk & cook for a min then add milk & cook until its creamy.

2.Soak the lima beans at least for 2 hrs. Then microwave it with double amount of water till its tender. You can skip soaking part if you want. after it cools grind & mix it with milk cream sauce
    
For the tomato gravy:

1. In a large pan, add oil ginger garlic paste chopped onions & sauté for 3 min. Them add coriander chilly powder, tomatoes & cook for 5 min add cashews & turn of the heat. Let it cool & grind.

2. In another pan add butter bay leaf & Kashmiri chilli powder stir for few seconds then add the grounded gravy. This makes the gravy red. Add water & cook for a min & add white sauce stir to get a nice orangey color. Add garam masala & salt. Crush kasuri methi in between your palms & add in the gravy.

3. You can roast the paneer in little butter both side if you want. Then add it into the gravy & cook for 2 min.

I garnish it with little crushed kasuri methi on the top.

Exceptionally delicious with Rotis, naan . kulcha chapatis even jeera rice.