Paneer tikka masala Recipe - Cooking guide with Ingredients

Cut 125 gms of paneer into 1-inch cubes. Fresh paneer works wonderfully for the best texture and flavour. Put the paneer cubes aside to prepare while you prepare the marinade.

Mix in a bowl the following: 100 gms thick curd, add ginger-garlic paste 1/2 teaspoon, red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon, turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon, garam masala 1/2 teaspoon, kasuri methi 1/2 teaspoon, salt to taste. This would flavour the paneer with its rich profile.

Add the cubed paneer to the marinade and gently toss them so that each piece is equally coated. Cover the bowl with its lid and allow it to sit for nearly 30 minutes, allowing the spices to steep into the paneer through this marinating process.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over a medium flame and when hot, add the marinated paneer cubes slowly to the pan. Shallow fry the cubes until they turn golden brown on all sides, which should take 5-7 minutes. Handling the cubes while turning them so that they don't break. Once done, please take off the fried paneer from the pan and place it on a plate for later use.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Let it heat up. Add in the finely chopped onion and saute till it turns golden brown. It takes about 5-6 minutes over constant stirring to avoid it getting burnt.

As soon as the onions have turned golden, put half a teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste in the pan. Stir for another 2 minutes so the raw smell of the ginger and garlic disappears. This lays down the base flavour for the gravy.

Add 1 cup tomato puree to the pan. Mix it up well with the cooked onions and ginger-garlic paste.

Add 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, and salt to taste. Mix everything well so that spices are evenly distributed in tomato puree.

Stir occasionally and continue cooking it for roughly 5-7 minutes over medium heat, such that the gravy thickens and the oil separates from the mixture; that will complete the process of setting up the rich flavours in the dish.

Add the gravy once it has thickened. Then, add 1/2 cup of fresh cream to a low flame. Mix very well until the cream is well incorporated into the gravy to get that rich creamy texture. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame.

Add the fried paneer cubes gently to the gravy. Stir gently so the creamy sauce coats the paneer without breaking the cubes. The mixture should cook on low flame for about 5 minutes. This will ensure that the paneer absorbs some flavour from the gravy.

Taste and season if required. You can even add just a splash of water or milk to make it a little thinner if you like it.

Pour in the fresh coriander leaves on top of the dish for that burst of colour and freshness at the end.

Serve Paneer Tikka Masala hot with naan or roti and steamed rice. Perfect for romantic dinners or any unique occasion explosion of flavours and textures that will astound your guests.