Paneer Butter Masala

I made paneer again. Actually, I also made ricotta at the same time :)
Anyway, as good as the Shahi Paneer is, we thought we should try it with something new. So I found this recipe and tried to simplify it and adjust it to the ingredients I had on hand. It came out really good, though not incredibly different from Shahi. It was nice to have the cashew crunch and the added bell pepper flavor, but it is a bit more complicated to make than Shahi, so it's good to have a choice.



Here's how I made it:

• 1 T oil
  
• 1 onion - grate with a grater or grind in a food processor
  
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1 t minced ginger
• 1 t ground chili
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 T ground cashew (a handful of whole cashews will be good)
  
• 2 tomatoes - grated, or peeled and pureed
• 1/2 t garam masala
• 1 t cumin
• 1/2 t sugar
• salt
  

Heat the oil on medium-high and cook the onion, the garlic and the ginger, until onion is transparent. Add chili, cook for another minute. Add milk, cook 2 minutes, add cashew, cook another 2 minutes, add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or so, after adding garam masala and cumin, salt and sugar. Add 1/2 c water and cook on low for another 10 minutes.

While this is simmering, prepare the following:

• 1 T butter
  
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, jullienned
  
• 2 hot peppers, cut to a size of your preference (if it's too hot, you can cut it to large pieces so that you can remove before eating)

Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat. When cooked, add peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add sauteed onion and pepper to the tomato masala.

Now all you need is to add the cubed paneer and let it all simmer for a couple of minutes. Serve with naan or whatever other bread you like.

NOTES:

• Feel free to add more water or milk if it seems too thick to be absorbed in the paneer.
• I found that grating the onion and tomato with a grater is a very easy way to get the same result as with a food processor, if you don't have such an appliance, or don't feel like cleaning it.
• This dish comes out thicker than Shahi, so can be easily eaten with chapati, or other, non-absorbant bread.