Butter chicken is one of my all-time favourite curries, but I’ve been trying to up my meat-free meals recently and what better way to do that than with curry?! So, I bring you my butter paneer recipe. It makes for a great fakeaway recipe too. This follows pretty much the same steps as the chicken version, and still has bags of flavour!

In fact, you could follow these steps and use chicken instead, but I’d recommend marinating the chicken for much longer – at least 3-4 hours, if you can. The ingredients list may look intimidating, but I promise, it is so simple! Remember to tag me @theglasgowdiet on Instagram if you make it so I can see your creations.

Butter Paneer

Ingredients
For the marinade:
400g paneer, cut into cubes
75g Greek or plain yoghurt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 heaped tsp garlic paste
1 heaped tsp crushed ginger
0.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp chilli powder
0.5 tsp garam masala
0.5 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin

For the sauce:
1 tbsp butter or ghee
1 heaped tsp garlic paste
1 heaped tsp crushed ginger
1 cardamom pod
2 cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
500g tomato passata
50g unsalted butter
50ml double cream

Method
1. In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Mix together, then add the cubed paneer and toss to coat. Cover and set aside while you make the sauce.
2. Melt a tablespoon of butter or ghee in a large, non-stick saucepan over a medium-low heat, then add your garlic and ginger. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant, then add all the spices and cook for a few minutes more. Meanwhile, preheat your grill to its highest setting.
3. Add the passata to the sauce, add salt and pepper to taste, then leave to simmer over a low heat. Place the marinated paneer on a lined baking tray, spray with a little oil to prevent sticking, and cook under the grill for 15 minutes, turning half-way through.
4. Add the cooked paneer to the sauce and toss everything together. Finish the sauce with the 50g unsalted butter and the cream, and cook for a minute or two until the butter has melted and everything is evenly mixed.
5. Serve the curry with rice, naan or whatever you like (if you are anything like me, you’ll be covering it with fresh coriander). Dig in and enjoy!