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Oh umm, hey! I made us some cheese… in a creamy indian sauce!!
No I literally made us some cheese. Well, not us, me, but you know.
My grocery store didn’t carry paneer (or they do, but they were out), so I decided to make my own. It was actually so incredibly easy and if you are interested, I used this recipe from The Kitchen. It only takes thirty minutes and it was actually kind of fun. If you have the time, I would totally give it a try. It’s kind of cool saying you made your own cheese, or at least I think it is.
But this recipe isn’t for homemade paneer. Nope. Today I am telling all about how I fried the paneer in a skillet, made it crispy and then tossed it in a creamy cashew Indian butter sauce. I know, I know. The Indian food lovers are going insane right now.
It’s good stuff, semi healthy and actually a very simple, quick and easy recipe to make. Yeah!!
I used my Healthy Crockpot Indian Butter Chicken as a guide for this recipe. That Butter Chicken recipe is probably my most viewed and well liked recipe, it seems people really love it!! Which is kind of weird since I will not lie, no one in my family went head over heels for it. I mean, I loved both of these recipes, especially the sauce, but my family really doesn’t like Indian food. It’s such a bummer.
Oh well, more creamy cashew Indian butter paneer for me and you!!
But can we just talk about that crispy paneer? I mean, it is totally not necessary for you to do this step, but why wouldn’t you? It is so good and it gives that somewhat bland cheese such nice flavor and texture. Please try it!!
Oh and the sauce? I know it is not traditional to have cashews in butter chicken, but then again neither is swapping the chicken for paneer. So since I was already going all wild and crazy, I kind of thought, why not add just a little more creaminess and flavor to this sauce by adding cashews. It keeps the sauce so incredibly silky without actually have to add any cream, like in traditional butter chicken.
So really, we have a completely healthy and slimmed down version here. Nice!!
Honestly though, I do think the reason I made this recipe was just yet another excuse to have a creamy sauce to dip that naan into. That naan, ah, it is a VERY loved recipe around here!
Creamy Cashew Indian Butter Paneer...with Fried Paneer!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee, or butter
- 8 ounces paneer cheese, cubed
- 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk, lite or regular
- 3/4 cup roasted cashews
- 1 (6 ounce) tomato paste, can
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt, or 1/4 cup more coconut milk for vegans
- 1/2 a small sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons spicy curry powder
- 1-2 teaspoons thai red curry paste, I used 2
- 1-2 tablespoons garam masala, I used 1
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon saffron, optional
- 1-2 cup broccoli florets
- chopped cilantro, for topping
- steamed rice, for serving
- fresh naan, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or ghee). Once hot, add the cubed paneer in batches and cook about 2 minutes per side or until crisp. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels. Repeat with any remaining paneer. Reserve the skillet and set the paneer aside.*
- To a food processor or high powered blender, add the cashews and coconut milk. Blend on high until completely smooth and silky, about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, yogurt and 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- To the same skillet you fried the paneer, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger, cook about 5-8 minutes or until the onion is soft and lightly caramelized. Add the curry powder, thai red curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Cook one minute and then stir in the cashew/coconut mixture. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and if it seems too thick for your liking, stir in water or coconut milk to thin. Once the sauce is at your desired consistency, stir in the crispy paneer and saffron if using. Add the broccoli and cook until warmed through and the sauce thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve over a bed of hot rice sprinkled with chopped cilantro. And don't forget the naan for dipping!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
So make the naan and the enjoy!
My husband loves this
Hey Julie,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
This was AMAZING! I made the vegan version substituting coconut yogurt and tofu and it turned out beautifully! Your recipes never disappoint 🙂 Also, people in the comments need to chill out-this woman is sharing her recipes for free and if you don’t want to make them, then don’t! Anyways-thanks again, I’ll definitely be making this for the second time in the near future!
Hey Jessi,
I am thrilled you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
This is not authentic Indian recipe. No butter chicken or paneer recipe will use coconut oil , or coconut milk , and definitely not Thai curry paste.
It’s a fusion, and your own version of an Indian dish.
Hi Vanita! Yes, it is definitely my version of an Indian dish. All of my recipes have a personal spin on them! I hope you try this and enjoy it! xTieghan
Hi! I can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you cook the broccoli before adding it to the sauce?
Thanks ?
Hey Mel,
Nope, you are going to cook the broccoli in step 3. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I have a passion for cooking how do I get my food on a website
Hi Margaret! I would suggest setting up a website through wordpress and uploading your recipes! xTieghan
Never did I think I could make Indian food like this at home. It’s so simple!
I substituted cubed Buffalo Mozzarella for the Paneer and initially tried to fry it like you do with the paneer, but it just started melting so I quickly took it out of the pan. Instead I just added the Buffalo Mozz to the sauce right at the end.
The broccoli was a great fresh addition
Really good spice level, spicy without being overwhelming
This makes a large portion, I’m still having leftovers (not complaining!).
Right?! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing! I want to make it for my mother but she can’t handle anything spicy. Any suggestions on how to make the dish super super mild?
Hi Britt! I would just use a regular curry powder and tone it down on the cayenne! I hope she loves this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was really tasty. Loved the combo of the cashews and coconut milk. I had everything but the broccoli which I substituted with green beans. I fried the cheese in half butter half coconut oil which worked well. Question – do you have any tips for keeping the cheese from “popping” and splashing oil? I assume the popping comes from the water in the cheese. I did dry it off out of the package but it still had a few explosions. This recipe is a keeper.
HI! So unfortunately, there is no avoiding the popping of the cheese. It’s just natural when cooking with oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this over the weekend! And I love the serving spoons too – I have the same ones, purchased in Kenya 20 years ago!
Wow that is so amazing!! I am so glad you like this recipe, and I hope it turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
This was so delicious! And it came together really quickly, too. I loved the texture of the paneer with the creamy sauce. Will definitely make this again!
Thank you Heather!
Hi Tieghan! I love your recipes and the gorgeous photos!! I have a quick question regarding the quantity for the coconut milk (your write ” 1 ounce can coconut milk lite or regular, 14″) is it 1 ounce or 14 (you have the number 14 at the end)… and same for the tomato paste (” 1 ounce tomato paste 6 can”).. is is 1 ounce of 6. Thanks for clarifying and i cant wait to try!!! Val
HI! So sorry for the confusion, recipe is all fixed!! It’s a 6 ounce can of tomato paste and 14 ounce of coconut milk. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I have read so many articles regarding the blogger lovers but this article is really a pleasant article, keep
it up.
Thank you!
I was excited when I read this recipe. I need it for a dinner party, and unfortunately I was very disappointed. The Thai red curry paste was very overwhelming in this recipe. It was all we could taste. It made it very unlike any cashew curry (korma) ive ever had. 🙁
Hi Jessica, sorry this did not fit your taste. Thanks for your feedback.
This is the closest thing I have ever made that smells and tastes like Indian food from a restaurant! It’s incredible!! I made my own Garam masala because it’s not always easy to find. Have any more Indian recipes?
So happy you lived this!! Yes I have tons of Indian recipes, just search Indian in the search bar at the top of that page. Thank you!!
I am indian. I was looking for a paneer recipe and found this one on the web. I had all the ingredients on hand so thought of trying it. I can’t say enough about how much I liked it. I know indian flavors really well and this tasted exactly like it would if it came from a very good indian restaurant. Thanks!
YEAH! Thank you so much!
I just made this and it was absolutely amazing! Wonderful recipe – thank you.