Someone was feeling a little ambitious today! I took a stab at creating a recipe for my most favorite Indian dish: paneer makhani. Paneer Makhani is made with an incredible, creamy, spicy tomato sauce surround cubes of cottage cheese. It's amazing with basmati rice or with naan! There are a lot of ingredients in the sauce, but it doesn't take a long time to make & it is sooo worth it.
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pack paneer, diced (or how much you prefer)
- 1 can tomato sauce (no flavor, just plain puréed tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped onion or sliced onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chili peppers, diced
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons tumeric
- 1.5 teaspoons ginger powder
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried methi leaves (fenugreek leaves)
- 2-3 whole chili peppers if you like it extra spicy
- Salt to taste
Recipe:
- Use a large pan, wok, or pot to heat the the onion, garlic, chili peppers & all of the spices just until lightly cooked (about 30 seconds). Mix to combine.
- Pour the tomato sauce or purée & the methi leaves into the pot. Let simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream (room temperate). Mix well to combine.
- Add salt as desired then taste & add more spices if needed.
- Important: turn off the heat! Then add the paneer & toss until it is well coated. Leave the stove on for just a few minutes so the paneer heats up.
Serve with naan or over basmati rice.
