Paneer Masala Restaurant Style | Easy Dhaba Style Paneer Masala Recipe | Kanak's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Besan/Gramflour
• 250 gms Paneer pieces
• Salt
• 1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2-3 tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 3-4 Cloves/Ilaung
• piece of Cinnamon/Dalchini
• 2-3 dry Red chillies
• 1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Heeng
• 2 green Cardamom/Illachi
• A bayleaf
• 3 Onions chopped fine
• 1 tbsp Ginger garlic crushed
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Red chilly powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 4 Tomatoes grated
• 3-4 tbsp Yogurt/Dahi
• 3-4 slit Green chillies
• Fresh Coriander
• Kasoor Methi

Instructions

1. Dry roast 1 tbsp of besan or gramflour in a non-stick pan on low to medium flame for about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not turn it too dark. This will help in giving nice thickness to the gravy and this is the secret ingredient which is used in most of the restaurants and dhabas. We will roast this just for a while and then immediately switch off the flame.
2. Transfer this on to a plate and keep it aside.
3. Next, we will take around 250 grams of paneer pieces, which I have cut into medium-sized pieces. I will slightly marinate it with all the dry spices. So, I'll take 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix everything really well just to coat the paneer pieces with the masala and this will help in giving nice extra flavor to the paneer in the gravy. This is optional. You can use raw paneer here, but I personally like doing this as it helps in enhancing the flavor.
4. We will keep this aside and in a pan, I'm going to take 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee. You can also use oil or butter instead. And to this, I am also going to add 2 tablespoons of clarified butter or ghee. This will help in giving nice flavor to the gravy and this is how it's prepared in all the dhabas. They use ghee for all the gravies and they always use gram flour in their gravies.
5. Next, I'm going to add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 3-4 cloves, a piece of cinnamon, 2-3 dry red chillies, 1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida or heeng, 2 green cardamom, and a bayleaf. Fry these whole spices just for a while or until you get nice aroma out of it.
6. Now, I'm going to add the onions, which are finely chopped onions. I'm using 3 onions, but if you want, you can grate or puree the onions as well. But this is how it's prepared in most of the dhabas. Cook the onions for about 5 to 6 minutes or until it slightly changes its color. Cook the onions really well over here as it will help in giving that dhabha style color to the gravy or the dish. So, keep cooking this for some more time.
7. You can see the onions are nicely browned in color and they have also started to leave oil from the sides. Now, let's add in the chopped ginger and garlic. I'm going to add 1 tbsp of ginger garlic crush. You can also use paste or pieces if you wish to. Cook this as well along with the onions until the raw smell goes away.
8. Now, I'm going to add 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 teaspoon of coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder and 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala. And the earlier roasted besan or gram flour. So, I've added all the dry spices and the besan to it. Keep cooking these spices with the onions for just a while or for about 2 to 3 minutes over low to medium flame. So, keep cooking this over medium flame, making sure to toss the paneer slowly and gently so that it doesn't break and then you can get nice coating on top.
9. So, cook these spices really well over here. You can see the base has started to thicken.
10. Now, keep the flame on low and I'm going to add the yogurt or dahi. So, I'm adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of it. You can add more or less. Add some fresh coriander and kasoor methi, which I'm going to lightly crush with the help of my hands to release all its flavor.
11. Mix that as well along with the gravy. Once that is mixed, I'm going to add water. Water, more or less, depending on your consistency. I'm going to add some water and I'm going to let it come to a good boil. And then, we'll be cooking it over medium flame for about 2 to 3 more minutes.
12. So, now you can see the paneer has absorbed all the flavors of the gravy. It's so creamy and delicious.
13. I'm going to add the paneer pieces into the gravy along with that flavored ghee. You can see the gravy is thick and has a nice orangey color.
14. So, I'm going to add all the paneer pieces into the gravy along with the ghee and toss it well with the gravy, making sure not to break the paneer pieces.
15. So, finally, I'm going to add some fresh coriander to it. Mix it well and our restaurant-style paneer masala is ready to be served.