Skillet Paneer Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 1 package Paneer, cut in 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp Canola oil
• 1 Yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 tbsp Fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp Red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 can Crushed tomatoes, no salt added
• ¾ cup Low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp Heavy cream
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 cup Frozen peas
• ½ cup Cilantro, chopped
• 1 ½ cups Brown rice (dry), uncooked
• 1 tbsp juice Lemon

Method

1. Start the rice. Pat the paneer cubes dry — wet paneer will not brown, it will squeak.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Brown the paneer on two or three sides, about 5 minutes total, and lift it out. It should be golden and slightly crisp; it will soften again in the sauce.
3. Add the onion to the same pan and cook 8 minutes until soft and browning. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute.
4. Add the remaining butter, then all the ground spices, and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Blooming them in fat rather than dumping them into liquid is the single biggest difference between this and a flat curry.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until it darkens. Add the crushed tomatoes and broth, scrape the bottom, and simmer 12 minutes.
6. Blend the sauce smooth — an immersion blender in the pan is easiest. This is what gives it the silky body that would otherwise take a cup of cream.
7. Stir in the cream, salt and peas, return the paneer, and simmer 4 minutes more. Finish with lemon juice off the heat and a heap of cilantro. Serve over the rice.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Swirl the last spoonful of cream over the top in a spiral rather than stirring it in, and drop the cilantro on at the very last second. Both things happen at the pass in a restaurant for exactly this reason.

🧒 For the kids

Leave the pepper flakes out and this is mild — garam masala is aromatic, not hot. Paneer holds its shape and does not string, which makes it an easier cheese for a suspicious kid than melted mozzarella.

🌿 From the garden

Cilantro and hot peppers both do well here. Ginger will grow in a pot on a sunny porch through an Ohio summer and gives you tender young rhizomes in October.

🥡 Leftovers

Keeps 4 days and freezes 2 months, though the paneer firms up after freezing. Reheat gently — a hard boil makes the cream break.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.