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Paneer Tikka Masala with Cashew-Tomato Sauce

Name: Paneer Tikka Masala with Cashew-Tomato Sauce
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 225 g paneer (whole-milk Indian cheese), cut into fingers about 7.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm; 2 tbsp plain yogurt; 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped; 1 tbsp ginger paste, fresh ginger pureed with a little water; 1 tbsp garlic paste, garlic pureed with a little water; 1 tsp Balti masala (toasted fennel, coriander, cumin, mustard, clove, black cardamom, nigella, bay, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg); 1 tsp ground Kashmiri chiles (or 1/4 tsp cayenne mixed with 3/4 tsp sweet paprika); 1½ tsp coarse kosher or sea salt, 1 tsp for the marinade, 1/2 tsp for the sauce; 2 tbsp ghee or canola oil; 75 g red onion, about 1/2 cup, finely chopped; 10 raw cashew nuts; 2 tbsp tomato paste; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp cayenne; 240 ml water, in two 120 ml portions; ½ tsp Punjabi garam masala; vegetable cooking spray, for the grill or broiler pan

Fingers of paneer marinated in spiced yogurt, ginger and garlic, charred on a hot grill or under the broiler, then laid in a velvety orange sauce of browned onion and cashews pureed with tomato paste and warm spices.

YieldServes 6
Hands-on35 min
Total1 h
Difficulty

Ingredients

Paneer

225 gpaneer (whole-milk Indian cheese), cut into fingers about 7.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm

Marinade

2 tbspplain yogurt
2 tbspfresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
1 tbspginger paste, fresh ginger pureed with a little water
1 tbspgarlic paste, garlic pureed with a little water
1 tspBalti masala (toasted fennel, coriander, cumin, mustard, clove, black cardamom, nigella, bay, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg)
1 tspground Kashmiri chiles (or 1/4 tsp cayenne mixed with 3/4 tsp sweet paprika)

1½ tspcoarse kosher or sea salt, 1 tsp for the marinade, 1/2 tsp for the sauce

Sauce

2 tbspghee or canola oil
75 gred onion, about 1/2 cup, finely chopped
10raw cashew nuts
2 tbsptomato paste
½ tspground turmeric
½ tspcayenne
240 mlwater, in two 120 ml portions
½ tspPunjabi garam masala

to tastevegetable cooking spray, for the grill or broiler pan

Diet

Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)

Contains

Dairy
Tree nuts
Cashew
Soy
Mustard
Legumes (any)
Fenugreek
Nightshades (any)
Tomato
Chili peppers
Onion family (any)
Onion
Garlic
Cabbage family (any)
Fennel
Ginger
Turmeric
Cilantro / coriander
Bay leaf
Black and white pepper
Cinnamon
Clove
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Cumin
Lecithin (any source)
Chili heat (capsaicin)
Lactose
FODMAPs (any)

Taste

Heat
Sweet
Sour / bright
Salty
Umami / savory
Richness / fat
Smoke
Herbal / fresh
Aromatic spice

Texture

Creamy
Chewy

Equipment

Oven
Stovetop
Grill
Blender

Season

Any season

Occasion

Weekend project
Entertaining

Effort

20–45 min active
30–60 min total
Difficulty 3
Needs advance prep

Nutrition

Calories: moderate
Protein: moderate
Carbs: moderate
Fat: high
Fiber: moderate
Sodium: low

Budget

Budget: moderate

What it costs to shop for

Members can download a cost breakdown for any recipe in Excel: what to buy after trimming, how many packages, and the cost per serving, scaled to however many you’re cooking for.

Method

The method is for members

The timed method (mise en place, a cook timeline with minutes per step, and cook mode with timers) is delivered to members in their packages, adapted to how they cook.

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