by Alex
If you’re tired of your usual hum drum meals, spice up dinner with this zesty Indian comfort food! This is one of my favorite Indian foods because it’s cheese in a creamy and tangy tomato sauce. Those are the best things in life! If you are branching out of your comfort zone, this is kind of like a chili if you swapped the ground beef for a very mild, high-protein cheese.
Paneer is an Indian cheese that is very firm, mild, and doesn’t melt easily. You can usually find it at the cheese counter of your grocery store. My Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry it, but the fancier grocery store does.
The word “curry” is used a lot in Indian cooking and often turns people off who aren’t familiar with it. Curry actually describes two things: (1) it’s a spice that is very pungent and yellow and used in some dishes (it’s not in this one) and (2) it’s just another word for sauce. So you could say this is a cheese dish in a tomato curry, or you could say it’s a cheese dish in a tomato sauce. It’s the same thing when we’re talking about Indian cooking.
Also, if you’ve ever had butter chicken, this paneer makhani is the same sauce. Butter chicken and chicken makhani are synonymous. Butter is just easier to pronounce! By the way, makhani is pronounced MAHk-nee.
I love this dish with some buttery garlic naan and white basmati rice. The sauce is so unique, combining tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, cashew butter, cinnamon, and cream. From the ho hum perspective, you’d think those don’t really go together. BUT THEY TOTALLY DO, PEOPLE. And it’s out of this world! (Or out of this continent, at least.)
FYI, since cashew butter is on the pricey side ($8-$11/jar), you can definitely sub peanut butter instead! Just make sure it’s creamy.
True to Indian cooking, the ingredient list is lo-o-o-o-ong and the process is very involved. If you just want the gist of it, slow cook tomatoes and onion in some spices, puree the mixture, add in the nut butter and puree again. Stir in the cream and cheese et voila. Drop in warm and buttered garlic naan, grab a bowl of rice, and feast! In case you’ve never had Indian food before, you serve the paneer makhani over (or next to) basmati rice, and use garlic naan (a flat, oven fired bread) to scoop up or soak up any remaining sauce!
Indian cooking usually requires ghee, or clarified butter, but you can use regular butter, too.
One more tip–the acidity of tomatoes prevent onions from softening. Cook the onions FIRST and then add the tomato. If you don’t, you’ll have some crunchy onions in your sauce, which, for this dish isn’t a huge deal since it all gets pureed, but because I like to follow the rules, I’m letting you know the “correct” way.
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
2″ of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
28 oz can of whole, peeled plum tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks of cinnamon, about 3″ long
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 tsp red chili powder
1/8 tsp red cayenne pepper (optional–omit if you don’t like heat)
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup creamy cashew butter (peanut butter is fine, too)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 oz fresh paneer, cut into 1″ x 1″ x 1/2″ cubes
Process
In a medium to large pot or Dutch oven, cook onions on medium heat in hot vegetable oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 2 more minutes. Stir constantly so the garlic does not burn.
Stir in the tomatoes and their juice and crush with a fork or masher so they are saucy. (Don’t worry, you’ll puree them later, too.) Sprinkle in the sugar, drop in the cinnamon sticks, and add the cumin, garam masala (if using), chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, bay leaf, butter, and tomato paste. Lower the heat and give it a good stir. Let this cook for about 30 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
Discard the cinnamon sticks and bay leaf. Using a hand blender or food processor, puree the sauce. Add the cashew butter and puree again. Return the sauce to the pot. Drizzle in the cream while stirring. The sauce will take on a lovely orange color. Drop in the cubes of paneer and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes on low.
Serve with garlic naan and basmati rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
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