Paneer Butter Masala

It was one of those weekdays when I returned home with kids very well exhausted. I was entering our apartment gate balancing two bags dangling from both my arms, two high spirtited kids, both my palms clutching each of them to not let them run away. A familiar voice 'Soppui' sounded like music to my ears. It was our area's 'Mobile greens seller' calling out while pushing his cart laden with greens of all kinds. I'm crazy about greens and I instantly had the urge to buy and ended up with 2 big bunches of fenugreek / methi leaves. My two & a quarter year olds lent me their tinty little hands in picking the leaves. Now I'm not a kind of mother who'll spoil my kids by spoon feeding them. C'mon I have two of them and helping one's mother is one of the good habits kids must inculcate from childhood. (I'm glad my Amma never thought so! Phew!)

I made Methi Pulao which I could eat on its own. But I knew Abbas would come back from work and freak out at the sight of it. So I had to make some kind of a gravy to accompany it. Dunno what made me choose Paneer (which is another thing he doesn't like). Finally the hungry soul with rats, cats and dogs racing in his tummy came home and enthusiastically opened the the lids! The inquistive sarcastic looks made me wish I had Harry's Invisibility Cloak to hide myself. He held up all the anger and served himself, while both of us were dumbfounded. I tried to act as if I was too immersed in TV unaware of his dislikes. Finally he broke the ice saying "The curry has really turned out delicious or I wouldn't have had my dinner today!" I silently thanked my stars... and ofcourse Sailu for this restaurant style Paneer Butter Masala recipe.

Ingredients:
250 gms paneer – cubed and sauté in a tbsp of ghee till golden brown, remove into a dish and add a cup of hot water to the fried paneer cubes and let them sit in it for 5mts,then drain the water and keep aside
2 big onions (blanch for 10 mts and puree)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd (I used kashmiri chillis)
3 big ripe tomatoes (blanch ,de-skin and puree)
3 tbsps cashewnut paste
½ tsp coriander pwd
pinch of haldi (turmeric pwd)
1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
garam masala pwd (make a pwd of 3 cloves,1 green cardamom and 1” cinnamon)
salt to taste
3 tbsps butter
2 tbsps fresh cream

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pan, add the onion paste and sauté till brown.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 3 minutes.
3. Add chilli pwd and combine,followed by the cashew paste and combine.
4. Add tomato puree, crushed kasuri methi,coriander pwd,haldi,garam masala and salt. Stir and let it simmer for 4-5 mts.
5. Add the paneer and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add a small cup of water and let it cook on medium heat for 10 mts or till you get the desired curry consistency .Remove from fire, stir in remaining butter and fresh cream.
6. Let the curry sit for 10-15 mts before serving.Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis, naan , paranthas or simple steamed white rice.

I'm sending this to Priya's Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday Event - 30th November 2010 event