Kaju Paneer Butter Masala

Kaju Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients

for sauteing cashews:
1 cup kaju/cashews, 120 grams
1 tbsp butter or oil

for gravy:

4 medium or 3 large ripe red tomatoes, 1.5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes
1 indian bay leaf/tej patta
½ cup water
18 to 20 kaju/cashews
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste or ½ inch ginger + 3 to 4 garlic crushed to paste in a mortar-pestle
1 or 2 green chilies, slit
½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch
½ tsp garam masala powder
2 to 3 tbsp cream, 25% to 35% fat
⅔ to ¾ cup water or add as required
2 tbsp butter
¼ to ½ tsp sugar or add as per taste
1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed or a pinch of methi powder/fenugreek seeds powder
1 to 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish
salt as required

Method

sauteing cashews:
first heat 1 tbsp butter or oil in a pan. make sure that the butter does not brown.
so melt the butter on a low flame.
then add 1 cup cashews (120 grams).
stir and saute the cashews till they become golden. remove them in a plate and keep aside.
preparing gravy:
in the same pan, add 1 tej patta and saute for a few seconds.
then add 1.5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes and ½ cup water.
about 4 medium or 3 large tomatoes. stir well and simmer the
mixture till the tomatoes soften.
when the tomatoes are simmering, take 18 to 20 cashews in
grinder or blender and powder very fine. if fat is released while
grinding cashews, then its alright.
remove and keep the ground cashews aside.
meanwhile, the tomatoes have softened. switch off the flame and allow
the the tomatoes to become warm or cool down completely.
discard the tejpatta and add the tomatoes in the same grinder or
blender jar in which we ground the cashews.
blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree. keep aside.
in the same pan in which we sauteed the cashews and cooked
the tomatoes, heat 2 tbsp butter.
lower the flame and add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste. stir and saute
for some seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
add the cashew powder. stir very well.
on a low flame, keep on stirring the cashew powder, so that it cooks uniformly.
stir till the color of the cashew powder changes to a pale light
golden and you get a nice aroma.
then add the tomato puree. stir very well.
saute the tomato puree for about 4 minutes on a low to medium flame.
then add ½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch. stir very well.
then add ⅔ to ¾ cup water or as required. stir again.
add 1 to 2 slit green chilies.
simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium flame.
then add the sauteed cashews. stir.
season with salt as required. simmer for a further 2 minutes.
lastly add ½ tsp garam masala powder, 2 to 3 tbsp cream,
1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed or a pinch of methi powder/fenugreek seeds powder.
stir again till the entire cream is mixed well with the gravy.
switch off the flame.
garnish with coriander leaves and serve kaju butter masala with
tandoori rotis, naan, chapatis. you can also serve it with jeera rice or veg pulao.