Ingredients
500 gms tomatoes
100 gms cashew nuts
4 to 5 whole green cardamom
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 green chillies
1 tsp red chilli powder
220 gms paneer cheese
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasturi methi)
2 tbsp butter
40 ml cooking cream
20 gms coriander
1 tsp honey
Chives to garnish
Method
1. Roughly chop tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and coriander, leaving the stalk of the coriander leaves on.
2. In a saucepan, heat vegetable oil and add the green cardamom, ginger, garlic and bay leaves. Let the aromatics spices fry in the oil until the ginger and garlic brown.
3. Add the tomatoes along with cashews, red chilli powder and season with salt, place a lid on the pan and cook for 30 minutes on medium heat stirring occasionally.
4. Once cooked, place aside and allow the tomato mixture to cool before blending into a smooth paste. You can add some water to loosen the tomato mixture while blending. If you find that your sauce is not smooth you can run it through a sieve.
5. For the paneer, chop it into small cubes or keep it as a block and add to a heated frying pan and evenly brown the paneer from all sides.
6. Heat butter and a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan and chopped ginger and garlic until it starts to brown.
7. Add the blended tomato sauce to the pan, it will splatter in the oil, so have a cover on hand for the pan and add your dried fenugreek leaves.
8. Cook the sauce until it starts to thicken before adding cumin powder, honey, garam masala and season with salt to taste, allowing it to cook for 10 minutes further.
9. Finish the sauce with cooking cream and butter and mix thoroughly.
10. Add your paneer to the gravy and allow to simmer on a low heat for a further five minutes before garnishing with some chopped chives.
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