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A couple of weeks ago, I published a “Mushroom Masala” recipe. It is such a hot favorite at my place, that I decided to add paneer to this gravy or “masala”. The masala itself is made of caramelized onions, tomatoes, fresh ginger-garlic paste and tandoori masala. Tandoori masala is non-spicy and has a bright red color to it. It is a combination of different spices like coriander, onion powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, bay leaf, lemon oil to name a few. It really flavors the dish and one does not need to add any other spices except for this powder. I like to call it the “Magic Spice Powder!”.
The paneer absorbed the gravy well and if you are serving this at a party, people might think it’s from a restaurant!!! I love recipes that are versatile like that. I think next time, I might try adding baby new potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 300 grams paneer cubed
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 1 big tomato, chopped finely
- 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste (gives a bright red color)
- 1 big garlic clove, fresh zest
- 1 inch ginger, fresh zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
- 2 green chillies chopped finely (I always use Thai hot green chillies)
- 2 teaspoons “Rajah” tandoori masala (is non spicy but salty)
- 1/2 cup milk or cream (I used 2% milk)
- 4 tablespoons oil
- salt to taste
Method:
Heat oil in a vessel. Add onions and fry till it’s golden brown.
Add garlic paste, ginger paste, green chillies and cilantro. Fry for a minute.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste and cook on medium high for 10-12 minutes, till it starts to leave oil and the tomatoes are cooked.
Add tandoori masala and salt for taste (refer to note). Mix well.
Lower the heat, add milk or cream and stir for a few minutes till well mixed.
Add cubes of paneer and fold in gently. Cover for five minutes, on medium heat.
Serve hot with “naan” or pita bread.
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Love that bright red color, great with rotis..
Thanks Hema. we ate it hot with rotis. So satisfying.
Yum! How do you think coconut milk would be as a substitute for dairy milk? This looks great
Hi Alyssa,
You can totally skip the milk if you want. I add it for just a touch of creaminess to the dish. The gravy tastes delicious even without the milk or cream. I have never tried adding coconut milk to it. I am not sure how that would taste.
Mighty scrumptious! What a great recipe. I love massala dishes.
Cheers,
Rosa
Hi Rosa,
Thanks so much. The onions gives it thickness and the color comes from the tandoori masala. Easy to make and so yum!
This colourful dish is making me want an early dinner.
The husband is a huge paneer fan. Must try this recipe, thanks for sharing
Hi Kiran,
Thanks. We love paneer too! In fact this time around I made the paneer at home too. It turned out soft and was delicious!
Asmita – so jummy, and potatoes in the dish would be wonderful!
Thanks so much Ina.
Red color looks good Asmita, My daughter wants me to cook such dishes but long ago I stopped buying ready made masalas. I just want to be safe when eating gluten free. Your dish look wonderful!
Very tempting,super colourful paneer masala,just inviting.
Asmita, this looks amazing. I love Paneer.. this kinda reminds me of a Paneer Tikka Masala.. love the colors and presentation.
I LOOOOVE how you make Indian food accessible. All this time I thought it was so involved, time consuming and required SO much. Thank you for your inspiration =)
What gorgeous color dear. Looks mouth-watering. And the paneer looks nice and firm. Thanks for sharing.
Oh, I love paneer. It’s been awhile since I’ve made some. I’ll have to try this recipe soon!
I am going to try this one since it is not spicy. My stomach cannot really bear very spicy dishes. But this one looks perfect for me very aromatic and mild!
This paneer looks just like what you would get at a top Indian restaurant in India. Thanks – I can only imagine what it would taste like because my cooking skills are not quite there yet.
I love how the paneer mix with the bright masala/tomato paste colours. I’m sure party guests would be very pleased with this dish (new potatoes sounds good too!).
What a gorgeous color you achieved in this paneer masala. Just lucious!
I just adore paneer!
One of the most delicious paneer dishes ever
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Looks absolutely scrumptious
Paneer dishes are always welcome at my home!
Oh Asmita, this is one of my favorite paneer dish…yours look so tasty…yum!
Thanks for the recipe and have a great week
tandoori masala add zing to any dish. curry looks great.
Yuuumm!! I had a paneer curry when I was out on Friday night but I can’t help but think that I could have done a better job. Especially with your recipe!
Magic Spice Powder! You always make dishes that are so appealing and this is no exception! I need to go to Indian store down the street to grab paneer!
delicious! it just looks comforting and delicious
Love the color, looks so tempting
Love how flavourful and saucy it looks!
Such a lovely coloured dish, I love homemade paneer and paneer dishes. And you’ve made it easier by using shop bought Tandoori masala too, what can be better?!
The sauce looks so delicious, and I love the color! Adding potatoes sounds great too.
So beautiful and so delicious! I’ll take paneer anyway I can get it.
this looks delicious and love your picture on the side so pretty
Thanks so much Rebecca.
paneerr is always so yummyyyyyyyyy
I definitely need to find and try the Rajah brand of tandoori masala. I like Patak’s a lot, but I’m always open to new things. Anyway, great dish – definitely something I’d enjoy. Thanks.
It looks deliciously savory and warm–I wish I had some of this for my lunch!
My favorite one.
Just amazing.. look at the color! paneeeer is my fav!
So bright and vibrant and I know it would be very flavorful. Milk is an ingredient that was very enlightening but since I have gone to Bologna Italy and found out they use milk in their ragu, I can see why it makes the dish so smooth and silky and delicious. Take care, BAM
Hi Asmitaa! I would love to try this dish!! It looks so delicious and flavourful!!! And boy, it would be perfect with naan!!
Heck yeah! That’s a gorgeous dish, darling! Anything with Magic Spice Powder is automatically genius, too
This sounds fantastic! I love the colour too and I adore paneer.
They look delicious!!!! Since they are not spicy, I guess kids will like it. Thanks for sharing the recipe and specifying the brand you used!!
Hi Asmita
This looks just perfect for my Friday party this weekend.. And the first picture is so drool worthy..
Btw, nice Profile Picture.. beware ! People might stare at you more than your recipes
Love
Nupur
UK Rasoi
Hi Asmita – fantastic looking dish, so rich in colour! Must be a wonderful thing to eat after a day out in the rain we’re having these days!
I was wondering if you could answer something for me – about paneer. Many years ago, an Indian restaurant which I love used to make a palak paneer, spinach dish and the paneer was so good… creamy, melting when hot and really soft. The ownership of the restaurant changed and they served the same dish, but I guess they changed paneer suppliers because now the paneer is very firm, even when very hot. It’s say it’s almost like firm tofu. Now I’m wondering if maybe the first owners weren’t even using paneer and were just using cream cheese or something like this, because ever since then it’s always been hard… in other restaurants too. Basically, I was wondering what consistency and flavour should it actually have?
Hi Charles,
Paneer has to be soft, it should just melt in the mouth. The paneer available in the US, from an Indian grocery store tends to be tough. It is usually kept in the freezer section and I thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. When we first moved to America, I used to make the paneer at home. Then, I got lazy and started buying it from the store. But since the last couple of months, I am back to making fresh paneer, which is not just soft, creamy and delicious but also so much more reasonable and best of all takes little effort and time.
So the restaurant you are visiting, their consistency of the paneer seems to be off. The previous owners were using good quality paneer or probably making it themselves fresh.
Hi Asmita! This looks super delicious and I would love to try making it! But where do you usually buy your paneer? I see from above comments that you’re now back to making it yourself…I’ll have to go see if you have a recipe on your blog for homemade paneer because I love saag paneer and would love to learn how to make that + this delicious dish at home!
Hi Erika,
I buy paneer from my local Indian grocery store. The brands I buy are Swad and Nanak. They are usually kept in the freezer section and I thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. It’s a big slab, I cut it horizontally, on the longer side to make 2 halves. Then from these halves, cut them into small cubes. I do that, so it’s not too thick and a little softer.
Yes, but making paneer at home is reasonable, healthy and so delicious. It’so soft that it melts in the mouth. Super quick and simple too. Let me email you the recipe.I hope you try this out.
Paneer Masala recipe w. onion, tomato, garlic clove + ginger? Very good!
Looks tempting. will definately try and let you know.