Paneer makhani is a creamy, slightly sweet paneer cheese dish from the Indian subcontinent in which the sauce is usually prepared with butter, tomatoes, cashews and cream. This variation of the traditional recipe features a lightly spiced creamy sauce with tender mushrooms, accompanied by steamed basmati rice.
Ingredients for 4 portions
- Raw basmati rice 185 g
- Water 375 ml
- Sunflower oil 60 g
- Yellow onions, chopped 200 g
- Ginger and garlic paste 10 g
- Medium ripe, diced tomatoes 200 g
- Cashew nuts 50 g
- Coriander 3 g
- Cumin 3 g
- Turmeric 4 g
- Chili 2 g
- Fresh white champignon mushrooms, cut in halves or quarters 250 g
- Red peppers, diced 150 g
- Chili powder 2 g
- Laurel 2 g or 1 leaf
- Meadow caraway seeds 3 g
- Whole cream 30 g
- Butter 40 g
- Paneer or cottage cheese, cubed 300 g
- Kasoori methi/dry fenugreek 10 g
- Halls q.b.
- Ground black pepper 5 g
- Coriander, chopped 5 g
Preparation
Put the rice and water in a medium pot without a lid on a stove over medium-high heat. Bring slowly to a boil until bubbles form on the edges; the center should ripple and foam will appear on the surface. Cover and turn the flame down to low.
Continue cooking for 12 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Take the pot off the heat, leave it 5-10 minutes covered, then remove the lid and strain the rice with a fork. Set aside to serve later with paneer and makhani mushrooms.
Prepare the masala paste by heating 20 g of oil in a pan and sautéing the onions. Cook over medium heat until the onions are golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for about 45 seconds. Combine the tomatoes, cashews, and spice mix.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 12 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk it until it is reduced to a paste.
If the mushrooms are large, cut them in half or quarters, if they are small you can leave them whole. In a bowl mix mushrooms, bell bell pepper, turmeric, chili powder and set aside. Heat a large pan and pour in 20 g oil.
When the oil is hot, brown and brown the mushrooms and peppers, several times if necessary. Remove them from the pan and set them aside. Wipe the pan with a sheet of paper towels. Pour in the remaining oil and preheat the frying pan.
Add bay leaf and meadow cumin seeds. When the oil begins to sizzle, add the whipped masala paste. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, adding 100 ml of water so that the masala sauce has a thick consistency but is fluid enough to pour.
Add browned mushrooms and peppers, kasoori methi (fenugreek), and paneer cubes to the sauce. Cook the whole thing over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
Turn off the stove and add the whole cream and butter, stirring. Garnish the dish with chopped cilantro and serve it with steamed basmati rice.
To limit our impact on the environment, we advise you to remain within 1 kg CO2-equivalent per meal, including all the courses you eat. Bear in mind that plant-based dishes are more likely to have a low environmental impact.
Even though some of our suggestions exceed the recommended 1 kg CO2-equivalent per meal, that doesn't mean you should never make them; it's the overall balance that counts. Regularly eating a healthy and eco-friendly diet in the long term offsets even the dishes with the most impact, as long as you don't make them too often.