Handmade Paneer Tikka Masala is a vegetarian alternative to Chicken Tikka Masala that uses soft, homemade cheese cubes that are paired with a perfectly balanced, spicy and delicious tomato cream sauce. This is my wife's favorite meal and it holds a special place in our hearts, and I'm so excited to be sharing it with you!
But homemade cheese is difficult, right? Not nearly as difficult as you might think (at least not this kind)! It takes approximately four easy steps, and it is super satisfying to say that you made fresh cheese with your own two hands. I have outlined all of the steps to make fresh paneer at home below - go check them out.
Ingredients & Components
Paneer is a soft, non-melting, "farm style", non-aged cheese (similar to cottage cheese) that is primarily used in Indian cuisine. Mixing fresh milk with either lemon juice, yogurt or distilled white vinegar quickly separates the curds from the whey. The excess liquids are drained off, then the curds are pressed into a semi-firm block. The result is a mild and delicately flavored, soft cheese to use in this curry or as a vegetarian protein substitute in almost any dish.
I have found that the best method is to make the paneer the day before you assemble the dish. This does two things: (1) lets the cheese set up and become more firm, and (2) lets the flavor of the paneer develop further.
The rest of this dish is almost identical to my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, with just a few slight tweaks. Swap the chicken for homemade paneer, and skip the searing step.
The Paneer
Homemade paneer uses three ingredients: fresh whole milk, an acid of your choice (distilled white vinegar, lemon juice, or yogurt), and a small pinch of fine sea salt. Take a look at the process below:
Step One - Heat
- Begin with whole milk (or at least 2%). Skim and non-fat milk will not work for this recipe. More fat = more cheese. Avoid Ultra Hight Temperature (UHT) Pasteurized milk. UHT-pasteurized milk will not separate due to this process altering the protein structure of the milk. Unfortunately, it may not be clear from the label if your milk has been UHT-pasteurized or not. Dairy manufacturers only have to tell you if their products have been Pasteurized or not, but not the exact method they use. Raw, unpasteurized milk yields the best results, but I understand some people are not comfortable with consuming raw dairy. Normal pasteurized milk will yield good results.
- Heat 12-cups of whole milk to a slight simmer, or to 200°F on an instant read thermometer. If you do not have a thermometer, bring the milk just barely to a boil. It should be steaming and slightly frothy.
Step 2: Mix and Separate
- Remove the milk from the heat and add your acid (vinegar, lemon juice, or yogurt). Stir to combine. The curds should almost immediately separate from the whey. Yogurt may take a few minutes longer than the other acids.
- Cover the pot and let sit for 10-minutes to allow everything to completely separate.
Step 3: Drain and Season
- Using a cheesecloth lined colander, strain to remove the curds from the whey. Gently squeeze the excess whey from the curds let drain for approximately 30-minutes to 1-hour.
- After straining, add and mix in ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt with the curds. Taste for seasoning, and add an additional ½ teaspoon if it needs more salt.
Step 4: Press
- While still wrapped in the cheesecloth, tightly squeeze the curds into a square or a disk. After this, place on a cutting board or plate and something heavy on top to finish squeezing out the remaining liquid. Let it stand for 15-minutes, up to 1-hour.
- At this point you should have a nice firm block of cheese. Use immediately, or refrigerate 1 to 2-days to let the cheese firm up and the flavor further develop.
Paneer Tikka Masala Sauce
As mentioned previously, the sauce for this Paneer Tikka Masala is nearly identical to my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. The key is in the homemade, heavily spiced curry paste. It adds a ton of flavor with just a touch of heat. Of course, feel free to customize this sauce to your heat tolerance. Add tomato paste and heavy cream, and cook it down to make a super balanced and delicious dish!
Honestly, the hardest part of this recipe is to make sure my wife doesn't get to all of the Paneer as it's sitting in the fridge overnight.
Pair this with my Garlic Butter Naan Bread, and a Refreshing Mango Lassi, and you've got the real deal-Indian restaurant experience at home! Check out my other Indian Recipes here for more inspiration!
Did you make this recipe for Handmade Paneer Tikka Masala?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don't forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Handmade Paneer Tikka Masala
Equipment
- Cheese Cloth
- Colander
- Instant Read Digital Thermometer Optional, but recommended
- Blender
- Pestle and Mortar Optional
- Heavy Bottom Skillet
- Pressure Cooker (InstantPot) Optional
Ingredients
Handmade Paneer
- 12 Cups Whole Milk (96 oz.) Not Ultra High Temperature Pasteurized - Raw Milk is preferred, but regular pasteurized milk will work.
- ½ Cup Lemon Juice, Distilled White Vinegar, or Plain Whole Fat Yogurt (4 oz.)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Curry Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds Toasted
- ½ teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns Toasted
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds Toasted (Substitute for ½ teaspoon ground cumin if you cannot find whole seeds.)
- Pinch Red Pepper Flakes Toasted
- 1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- 7 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Two Inch Piece Ginger Peeled and Minced
- 1 Jalapeno Deseeded, and Rough Chopped. (Add more or substitute for hotter pepper if you want more heat).
- ¼ Cup Water (2 oz.)
- 2 Tablespoons Neutral Oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Rice
- 2 Cups Basmati Rice Rinsed with cold water until it runs clear
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 3-4 Wole Cardamom Pods
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Tikka Masala Sauce
- Remaining Curry Paste
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 Large Onion Finely Minced
- 1 (6 oz.) Can Tomato Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chili Powder Substitute plain chili powder if you can't find this.
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream (8 oz.)
- ½ Cup Whole Milk (4 oz.)
- ¼ Lemon
- ¼ Cup Cilantro Finely Minced
Instructions
Paneer
- In a large pot, heat whole milk over medium heat until an instant read thermometer reads 200°F. Stir frequently and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to ensure milk does not scorch. (If you do not have a thermometer, bring the milk just barely to a boil. It should be steaming and slightly frothy).
- Remove from heat and add distilled white vinegar/lemon juice/yogurt and stir.
- Cover and rest for 10-minutes in order for curds to completely separate from the whey.
- Line a colander with cheesecloth. Place a large mixing bowl underneath if saving whey.
- Scoop the curd from the pot and add to colander. Grab the edges of the cheesecloth and form a ball. Gently squeeze to remove excess liquid.
- Rinse well with cold water to remove any vinegar or lemon smell. (Omit this step if using yogurt).
- Gently squeeze cheesecloth again and let drain for 30-minutes to 1-hour.
- Open cheesecloth and add ½ teaspoon salt to curds and stir. Taste and add another ½ teaspoon if needed.
- While still wrapped in the cheesecloth, remove curds from colander and form into a tight disk, square or rectangle.
- Place on a plate or cutting board, and cover with a another large plate. Place a heavy weight, such as a large pot, or Dutch oven on top. Filling the pot or Dutch oven with dry rice, or cans from your pantry helps add weight. Press for 15-minutes, up to 1-hour.
- Remove the paneer from the cheesecloth. Use immediately or refrigerate overnight (recommended), up to 2-days.
Curry Paste
- Toast the coriander, crushed red pepper, whole black peppercorns, and cumin until spices become fragrant in a small saucepan over medium high heat, 2 - 3 minutes. The spices should start to smoke lightly, but not scorch or burn.
- Add the toasted spices to a pestle and mortar, and grind into a fine powder. (This step is optional. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, add the seasoning to the blender first and grind them before the next step).
- Add the toasted and ground spices, garam masala, turmeric, ground cardamom, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, water, oil and salt to a blender. Blend until a thick paste forms, approx. 2 - 3 minutes. (Optionally, this could be made with an immersion blender, and you could drizzle the oil in slowly as you blend).
Basmati Rice
- Place rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse with cold water until water runs clear.
- Add water, butter, salt, and cardamom pods to InstantPot. Add rinsed rice, and cover. Set time to 8-minutes on manual mode and cook. When timer goes off, turn off the keep warm setting, and let pressure naturally vent for an additional 8- minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure from the InstantPot. Remove the lid and remove the cardamom pods. Fluff the rice with a fork and taste for additional seasoning. Add additional salt as needed.
Tikka Masala Sauce
- Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to the pan and heat until slightly smoking. Add several tablespoons of the curry paste and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from the pan and let cool.
- Add paneer cubes to the cooked and cooled curry paste, tossing to coat. Reserve to the side for later in the recipe.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add butter to pan and melt.
- Add onion and a small pinch of salt. Cook for 5 to 8-minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and some color begins to form. Scrape the bottom of the pan as the onion releases some of its liquid.
- Add the remaining curry paste, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika and stir. Sauté for an additional 2 - 3 minutes, until everything starts to stick to the pan.
- Add the heavy cream and milk, stirring to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a slight boil. Add the paneer back to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 15-minutes until thick.
- Add the juice from the quarter of a lemon, minced cilantro, and stir. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Assembly
- Take several scoops of rice and place in half of a bowl. Place several scoops of paneer and sauce in the other half. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve warm.
Paula says
Can't wait to try this!
Spencer Klickman says
It's AMAZING! It's my wife's favorite dish for a reason.