Instant Pot paneer butter masala
Soft cubes of paneer in a silky, gently spiced tomato and butter sauce, the takeout favorite made in one pot and spooned over fluffy basmati rice.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.85 a serving
- 810 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 14 oz paneer, 1 block
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1¾ cups crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¾ cups water, divided
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
Each serving has about 810 calories, 30 g protein, 73 g carbs and 45 g fat, and costs about $2.85 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Cut the paneer into ¾-inch , the onion, the garlic and the ginger.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
the rice until the water runs almost clear. Put it in a with 2¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the burner and leave the lid on until you serve.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Set the Instant Pot to and 2 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and , about 5 minutes.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 5 min
Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, paprika, cumin, turmeric and cayenne and stir for 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 1 min
Pour in ½ cup water and scrape the bottom completely clean. Pour the crushed tomatoes and the rest of the salt on top without stirring.
Dolly’s tip: A clean bottom and tomatoes sitting on top are what keep the pot from flashing a Burn warning.Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, then quick release.
Timer: 5 min
Switch to . Stir in the cream, the rest of the butter, the sugar and the paneer and 3 to 4 minutes, until the paneer is soft and the sauce clings to a spoon.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Timer: 3 min 30 sec
Fluff the rice and serve the paneer over it, sprinkled with cilantro.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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