Keto Paneer Makhani / Butter Masala Paneer

This recipe does have a lot of ingredients and steps, but it is well worth the effort and surprisingly easy to prepare. It is a delicious vegetarian version of butter chicken. My family love this so much. You can halve the recipe, this makes a lot! T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon :D

INGREDIENTS

PART ONE

• 90 g whole almonds
• 250ml boiling water
• 125ml water, extra

PART TWO

• 20 ml lime juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 T garam masala
• 1 t garlic paste
• 1 t ginger paste
• 1 t salt
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 1 kg paneer, cubed

PART THREE

• 50 g light olive oil
• 50 g ghee
• 50 g butter

PART FOUR

• 3 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1 cinnamon stick, approx 5 cm
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 t cumin seeds
• 1 bayleaf or a sprig of curry leaves

PART FIVE

• 1 t smoked paprika
• 1 t sweet paprika
• 1 t turmeric
• 1/2 t chilli flakes or to taste
• 1 T dried onion/ onion powder
• 2 t garlic paste or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 t ginger paste
• 1 t of salt
• 700g tomato puree (I use italian sugo or pasata)
• 250 ml water

PART SIX

• 1 T natvia or sweetener of choice
• 150g spinach, fresh or defrosted frozen
• 250 g cream
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

METHOD

Take the almonds from PART ONE and soak them in the boiling water, set aside.

Mix all the PART TWO ingredients in a large ziplock bag and set aside in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes before continuing the recipe.

Put all the PART THREE ingredients into a heatsafe jug and heat gently in the microwave until the oils are just melted and are able to be mixed together. Use about 2 T of this mixture to pan fry the marinated paneer. Set aside and wipe out pan.

Check the almonds. They should have soaked for at least 30 minutes and be able to slip their skins when squeezed. Remove the skins from all the almond, and rinse. Place in a blender with extra water from STEP ONE and blend to a smooth paste.

In the wiped out fry pan, dry fry PART FOUR ingredients gently until fragrant. Add in the remaining oil mixture along with the PART FIVE ingredients except the tomato puree and water and fry gently to toast the powders for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree, almond paste and 250 ml water and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent catching.

With the heat on low, add in the PART SIX ingredients and the reserved paneer, stirring gently until well incorporated and heated though ensuring the spinach being cooked.