Paneer Butter Masala

gravy at the final stage after adding butter and chopped coriander leaves

Ingredients

1/2 lb paneer or indian cottage cheese, cut into 1" cubes
3 large tomatoes, washed and cut into quarters
1 medium sized onion, peeled and cut into quarters
1 tablespoon ginger paste or grind a 2" ginger piece
1 tablespoon garlic paste or grind about 5-6 cloved of garlic
1 green chilly, julienned
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika powder, to add color without the heat (optional)
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon dried kasuri methi leaves
sugar and salt to taste
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoon cooking oil
some chopped coriander for garnishing

Directions

1.  In a pan heat some oil on medium and fry the paneer until the paneer turns slight brown 
     on all sides. Soak the paneer in some water to soften it a little and to remove any excess 
     oil. Drain the paneer after about 10 minutes of soaking.  This step is optional. I like the     
     paneer to be a little hard so I like to fry it first.
2.  Next put the quartered onions in a microwaveable bowl, cover it with a plate and 
      microwave it for 1 minute.
3.  Repeat this step for the tomatoes.
4.  Once the onion and the tomatoes are cool, grind them separately and keep the onion 
      paste and tomato puree aside.
5.  Heat the cooking oil in a wok or pan on medium heat and once the oil is hot add the 
      cumin seeds followed by the julienned green chillies.
6.  Stir fry this for a few minutes until its aromatic. Then add the onion paste and cook it 
      until the onion loses its raw smell. I microwave the onions to cook it first so that I dont 
      have to spend too much time on cooking the onions.
7.  When the onion has lost its raw smell and it starts to separate from the oil, lower the heat 
      and add the kashmiri red chilly powder, paprika powder(optional), coriander powder, 
      cumin powder and turmeric powder.
8.  Stir fry until the masala loses its raw smell.
10. Next add in the pureed tomatoes and mix well.  Add in the kasuri methi leaves. Cover the       pot and let the tomato masala cook until you see the oil floating on top of the masala.     
      Don'f forget to stir the tomatoes occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the 
      pan.
11. At this stage add the paneer and mix the gravy. Gradually add in heavy cream and stir 
      well to combine.
12. Season with salt and sugar to taste.
13. Lastly add the butter and chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
14. Dish up and sprinkle with some more chopped coriander leaves and serve with some hot        naans.