Paneer Bhuna Masala is a popular Asian recipe of paneer in a delicious onion-based gravy. It is most popular cooking technique from the Bengal region of Northeast India and western Bangladesh and widely gained its well-deserved status at the Indian restaurants’ world over.
The word ‘Bhuna’ originates from Urdu word for ‘fried’ and refers to the cooking process rather than the type of dish. It means fried in oil/ghee at a high temperature until the spices form a paste. This process helps to bring out the flavours in the dish. In this particular recipe, onions are fried at high temperature until they caramelise and brown. The onions almost become a mushy paste which is what forms the base of the thick gravy.
My husband loves Chicken Bhuna and being a vegetarian whenever I cook chicken bhuna for him, I prepare Paneer Bhuna for myself. Although, Paneer Bhuna sounds a bit complicated, it is an extremely easy recipe to prepare at home and doesn’t have as many different spices as some of the other Indian recipes. If you love recreating Indian takeaway recipes, then this one is definitely for you. All this recipe asks for is ‘patience’ and ‘time’ to make the base of the gravy and you would have prepared a better Paneer Bhuna than your local takeaway/restaurant.
Other paneer recipes you might like are Paneer Lababdar, Paneer Hara Pyaaz, Indo- Chinese Chilli Paneer, Paneer Makhani, Thai Pandan Leaf Paneer and Paneer Tikka to name a few.
