The vegetarian counterpart to the iconic Murgh Makhani, Paneer Makhani is an absolute classic in terms of Indian food. Personally I think Paneer Makhani is even more luxurious, owing to the rich creaminess
You can find my recipe for Murgh Makhani right here!
What is Paneer Makhani?
It is said that Murgh Makahni originated in the kitchens of Moti Mahal in Delhi where the chef would mix left over Tandoori chicken in a milk tomato gravy at the end of a days work to feed to the kitchen staff. This dish was so popular that it quickly became a feature on the menu and subsequently gained popularity in kitchens across India and then the World. Eventually the vegetarian version made with Paneer became a mainstream menu item too.
The gravy is made with tomatoes, cream, butter and the mildest of spices. This gravy is what makes the Makhani absolutely delicious.
What do I need?
There are a couple of ingredients that you will really to need to hunt for, but thankfully you can find everything either online, at your local Grocery store or at your local South Asian Grocer.
Garam Masala
One of the most important ingredients you will need, not just for this recipe, but for all things Indian cooking is Garam Masala. This is a masala blend made with a combination of wonderful whole spices including fennel, bay leaves, black and white peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mace (which is the outer skin of nutmeg), black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, cassia bark and dried red chilli.
Lucky for you you can easily buy a pre-made blend of all these ingredients and it makes life so much simpler.
Here is Australia you can buy Garam Masala from Woolworths, Coles, or Harris Farm. Alternatively you can find Garam masala online right here.
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
This one is really crucial to making Makhani sauce. Kashmiri chillies are very mild, and have a very Earthy, dry flavour. This particular chilli powder is used especially for the deep red colour they provide naturally without a lot of heat.
It is important to note here that thought you could use paprika as a substitute, you need to also be aware that the two spice powders do have very different flavours. Paprika is a much sweeter chilli powder so the end flavour of the dish may not be what you expect!
You can find Kashmiri chilli powder online, or at your local South Asian grocer. To buy it here in Australia, Radhe (a popular South Asian grocery store in Sydney) has started an online store.
Dried Fenugreek Leaves
Before I even begin to talk about the leaves, I want to make a note here and say please do not use Fenugreek seeds as a substitute. The seeds have a very different flavour profile and cannot be used instead of the leaves.
Fenugreek leaves impact a really delicate flavour to the gravy and provide the balance for our 5 taste sensations, most notably Bitterness. In richer recipes like this or any dishes with a lot of overpowering richness, or even tang, Fenugreek leaves help to balance the palate out.
You can find fenugreek leaves at your local South Asian grocer or online.
Preparing the Paneer
Whilst it is not necessary to marinate the paneer before cooking, I personally think it makes a huge difference! The key is to prepare the paneer so that you get beautifully soft paneer with a delicious outer layer that is packed with flavour.
Soak the paneer in warm water
This step is really important and achieves 2 things. Firstly, soaking the paneer in warm water removes the jelly-like preservative that coats store-bought paneer and secondly it helps to soften the paneer. By softening the paneer you get a really lovely smooth center. You only need to soak the paneer for about 10 minutes, after cutting it into little cubes
Marinating & cooking the paneer
Once the paneer is soaked, remove the the paneer cubes and pop into a bowl with all the marinade ingredients. You only need to marinade the paneer for 10 minutes before frying it in some vegetable oil. With this all you need to do is fry the paneer till they are golden brown on all sides
The Makhani Sauce
I normally just refer to this as THE SAUCE.
It is the most iconic sauce in Indian cooking, and it is actually the star of the show here. To make your makhani sauce you need to follow the steps carefully. Make sure each ingredient is added carefully and at the right time.
This is where I would share a story about my dad teaching me about the concept of layering flavours and how any spice added directly in the pan versus in oil versus in liquid can really change the flavour of the meal.
We start with some oil and butter, followed by all of the whole spices and some fenugreek leaves. These infuse in the butter and oil mixture and release their natural oils too, after-which we add in the ginger and garlic. These need to be cooked until the raw smell has been cooked off – which trust me does not take a long time! Now we go in with the ground spice, followed soon after by the tomato puree.
Let’s pause a moment here.
Tomato puree
Now I usually purchase pureed tomatoes in a jar or I buy tomato passata just to make my life a little bit easy. You could make your own puree at home, however you absolutely must make sure that the puree is VERY smooth and doesn’t have any chunky bits – this is super important in order to get that smooth, rich and glossy finish to your recipe.
Another important note here is that every tomato is different, every brand of puree and/or passata is different. With this in mind take caution when cooking and adjust cooking times accordingly. The biggest concern in this recipe is making a gravy that is too sour – if the gravy has a sour note to it, add a pinch of salt to the base and cook the tomatoes for another 5 minutes. You want the tomatoes to still have that rich tomato flavour, without an overpowering sour hit to it.
It took me a few failed attempts quite early into my cooking journey to learn this.
Okay back to Makhani
The dish is finished up with cream, some more dried fenugreek leaves. While the makhani is hot, stir through the pan-fried paneer and top up with
And then we serve!
Here is the recipe
Paneer Makhani
Equipment
- Saucepot
- Wooden spoon
- Tongs
- Plate with paper towel
Ingredients
For the paneer and marinade
- 500 g paneer, cut into cubes
- ½ inch stick of ginger, made into a paste
- 4 cloves of garlic, made into a paste
- ⅛ tsp red chilli powder
- ⅛ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp chopped coriander leaves cilantro
- pinch of salt
- vegetable oil for cooking
For the Makhani sauce
- 700 g tomato puree or tomato passata This is just about one bottle of passata, or roughly 4-5 tomatoes
- ½ tsp tomato paste
- 40 g butter
- 1 tsp ground kashmiri chilli
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin powder
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 4-6 green cardamom pods
- ½ inch stick of cinnamon bark
- ½ inch stick of ginger, made into a paste
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, made into a paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 120 mL cream and extra according to your taste
For garnishing
- 1 tbsp. roasted cashews
- 1 tsp. pomegranate arils
- 1 tsp. fresh coriander leaves cilantro
- a pinch of dried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
Preparing the paneer
- Rinse the paneer and place into a bowl with warm water with a big pinch of salt
- Soak the paneer for 10 minutes and then pat dry
- Mix together the ingredients of the paneer in a bowl, then add the paneer and coat it really well. Set this aside for 10 minutes
- Heat 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil in saucepot over a medium high to high heat
- Add the paneer to the pot and cook till the paneer is golden brown on all side
- Remove the paneer and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel
Preparing the Makhani sauce
- Heat 1 tsp of oil over a low heat in the pot and then add the butter in
- Add the whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves) and half of the fenugreek leaves and mix until fragrant
- Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, then add the ginger paste and garlic paste. Be careful here as the moisture from the ginger and garlic can cause some sputtering. Cook the garlic and ginger until the raw smell has been cooked off.
- Add the ground spices and cook for 20 seconds, then add in the tomato paste and tomato puree (or passata). Mix everything through well and bring to a boil with a good pinch of salt
- Sprinkle half of the remaining fenugreek leaves over the top and cover the pot with a lid. Let the sauce continue to cook for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce to check if the tomato has completely cooked and if it needs more salt
- Add in 3/4 of the cream and stir it through. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes
- Taste the gravy for salt, pepper and creaminess ensuring that the tomato has completely cooked through. Typically you can tell the gravy is cooked once the oil starts to separate from the tomato gravy
- Add the paneer and mix everything through
- Serve the makhani with a drizzle of cream, pomegranate arils, the remaining dried fenugreek leaves, roasted cashews and fresh coriander leaves
And that is my Paneer Makhani!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much I do. Share your recipe attempts with me on Instagram @theminiature and be sure to send be a screenshot too!
