🧀 Curry · Level 1
Cheese Butter Masala
Processed cheese cubes in a rich makhani sauce — the most indulgent vegetarian curry on any North Indian restaurant menu. Richer than paneer butter masala, with a distinct melting quality.
Processed cheese cubes in a rich makhani sauce — the most indulgent vegetarian curry on any North Indian restaurant menu. Richer than paneer butter masala, with a distinct melting quality.
Cheese butter masala uses processed cheese — typically Amul processed cheese in India — rather than paneer. The difference is structural. Paneer is acid-set and holds its shape when heated because its proteins have already denatured. Processed cheese contains emulsifying salts that keep the proteins fluid even when heated — producing a soft, slightly melting quality that paneer cannot replicate. The cheese does not dissolve into the sauce but develops a creamy, yielding exterior that coats with the makhani sauce differently than the firmer paneer.
Heat butter and oil together. Add roughly chopped onion and ginger-garlic paste — cook 10 minutes until golden. Add tomatoes, Kashmiri chilli, coriander powder and sugar. Cook on high heat until oil separates — about 12 minutes. Cool slightly. Blend completely smooth and pass through a sieve.
The butter-oil combination for cheese butter masala uses a slightly higher butter ratio than paneer butter masala — the extra milk solids provide dairy compounds that echo and complement the processed cheese's flavour profile. Maillard reactions in the butter's milk solids at high temperature produce caramelised lactose notes that align naturally with the processed cheese's mild dairy character, creating a more unified sauce-protein flavour.
In a separate pan on high heat, toss capsicum and onion squares in a touch of oil for 3–4 minutes until slightly charred at the edges but still crunchy. Set aside.
The high-heat char on the capsicum and onion squares provides Maillard browning compounds that contrast with the rich, creamy sauce — adding a bitter-sweet complexity. The textural contrast between crunchy charred vegetables and the soft yielding cheese is one of the defining characteristics of a well-made cheese butter masala, preventing it from being one-dimensionally soft and rich.
Return blended sauce to pan on medium-low. Add cream and kasuri methi. Stir well. Add charred capsicum and onion. Add cheese cubes — heat gently for 3 minutes only. Add garam masala. Serve immediately.
Processed cheese contains sodium citrate and other emulsifying salts that keep the casein proteins in a fluid, colloidal state even when heated. Above 70°C, these proteins begin to flow and the cheese softens noticeably. At 3 minutes in a simmering sauce, the cheese softens and develops a slightly creamy exterior while retaining its cube shape — the ideal state. Beyond 5 minutes, the emulsifying salts can no longer prevent the proteins from fully denaturing and the cheese loses its shape entirely.