Prior to moving to the SanFransisco bay area, I had never tried Indian food. Little did I know that I would end up not only discovering a new cuisine but that I’d also meet and marry the absolute love of my life who happens to be Indian. I love you, babe!
I am sure if you are reading this recipe that you may already be familiar with Indian food. And chances are you’ve tried butter chicken before. If so then you are well aware that this dish is both rich and flavorful. If not, you are in for a real treat!
What is Paneer?
Simply put, paneer is a dairy product, similar to how cheese is a dairy product. Visually it’s similar to tofu. There’s an endless number of ways to make paneer, you can even fry it! On a side note, if you are adding paneer to your favorite curry you’ll want to stir gently. As the paneer warms up it becomes softer and if you’re stirring too vigorously the paneer may break up. This won’t ruin your dish but I prefer seeing and eating the whole pieces of paneer.
Although I have tried many, many different Indian dishes paneer is one of my go-to dishes to make at home. In fact, I make it on average a couple of times a month.
Where to Find Paneer?
We typically buy our paneer from an Indian grocery store or international market. We have bought it from Costco as well when we lived in the bay area but have not seen it at the Costco here in Arizona, yet. I have also found it at Sprouts Market here in Arizona, they keep it in the cheese section. Most larger cities will likely have a few options.
On a side note, if you have not ventured into an Indian grocery store or an international market I would highly encourage you to do so. It’s a great big world out there and so many different cuisines to try. Be brave, seize the day and go check one out. Pick up one or more interesting ingredients that look good to you and try to make something with them. You never know, you may stumble upon your next favorite “If I were stranded on a desert island I’d take it with me” food!
Is it Spicy?
This dish comes together really quickly and you can adjust the hot spiciness of the dish to suit you or your family’s specific tastes. A little less red chili powder if you don’t like your food too spicy or really spice it up by adding whole chilies. Either way, always taste and adjust as needed. You can always add a little more but it’s impossible to remove the spice if you’ve added too much.
Personally, I don’t find this recipe to be too spicy. In fact, my 9-year-old niece and 11-year-old nephew both love this dish! I suspect it’s because they get to eat with their hands. Neither of them has complained about the spice level.
Sides
We typically eat Butter Paneer with basmati rice, paratha, or naan, or a combination of rice and one of the flatbreads. Either way, eating the Butter Paneer with one of these other items will cut down on any spiciness a little and maybe something you may want to keep in mind if you’re planning on making any adjustments to the recipe.
You might be wondering to yourself, “what’s paratha?”, am I right?
The very best way for me to describe paratha is that it’s a cross between naan and a croissant. It’s a flatbread, like naan, but because of the way it’s rolled out it has delicious flaky layers and puffs up a little while being warmed in a pan. This is another item you can pick up at an Indian grocery store. I always have a bag of paratha in the house.
Raitha is a common accompaniment with Indian food and acts as a cooling agent if you’re finding that a particular dish is too spicy.
Check out my recipes for both homemade naan and raitha.
Butter Paneer
Equipment
- skillet
- griddle or shallow pan
Ingredients
- 10 ounces paneer
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt I like using White Mountain Bulgarian probiotic yogurt. You could also use a plain greek yogurt.
- 1 juice from one lemon
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger paste you could also use 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
- 1 6 ounce can tomato puree
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 whole red bell pepper, diced or any color you have or prefer
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tsp dried methi leaves
- 1 tbsp coriander, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Cut paneer into equal bite-sized cubes, however big or small you prefer, place the cubes in a small bowl, season with a little salt and pepper, and set aside. 2. In a large bowl, combine sour cream or yogurt, heavy cream, lemon juice, and spices and stir until well combined. 3. Add tomato paste and mix well. 4. Add paneer and gently mix until the paneer is well coated. Be careful not to overmix the paneer as it could start to break apart.5. Cover and set the mixture aside to marinate while you chop the bell pepper, yellow onion, and coriander.6. In a large pan on medium-high heat add the butter and chopped pepper and onion and cook until they've just begun to soften. 7. Add the paneer mixture to the pan and reduce heat to a medium/medium-low and allow to simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the paneer is heated through. Gently stir the mixture a few times while it's simmering just to ensure even cooking temperature all the way through. 8. After the butter paneer has finished simmering add the crushed dry methi leaves and stir into the mixture. 9. Top with the freshly chopped coriander and serve hot.