Grind onion, ginger and garlic in a grinder and make onion paste. Grind soaked cashew nuts with 2 tablespoons water to make cashew nut paste. Blanch the tomatoes and blend them to prepare tomato puree.
Heat cooking oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium flame. Add onion paste and bay leaf and sauté until onion paste turns light brown for 4-5 minutes.
Add green chilli and red chilli powder and sauté for 30-40 seconds. Add cashew nut paste.
Stir and cook for 2-minutes
Add tomato puree and cook until oil starts to separate from the puree, it will take around 3-4 minutes.
Add coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water and salt; mix and cook until oil comes on the surface or for about 4-5 minutes.
Add paneer cubes, kasuri Methi.Cook for five minutes.
Add fresh cream.Switch off the flame.Transfer prepared curry to a serving bowl. Garnish Punjabi paneer butter masala with milk cream or cube of butter,green chillies and serve.
For dhaba style Dal tadka..
Heat ghee in a non-stick pan and add cumin seeds. Once they change colour, add asafetida and mix.
Add garlic and ginger and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Add onions and a pinch of salt and sauté till the onions turn golden brown.
Add tomatoes and sauté till they turn pulpy.
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder andgaram masala powder and mix well. Cook for a minute and add the cooked grams and salt. Mix well.
Add water if required and bring to a boil.
Add lemon juice and remove from heat.
Transfer into a serving bowl, garnish with corianderleaves and serve hot.
For Gobhi Korma...Make a powder of the cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, poppy seeds and keep aside.
Clean and cut cauliflower into florets into small pieces.
Grind the onion and tomato into a fine paste, mix it with the powders, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, curd and cauliflower florets.
In a deep pan heat oil, mustard seeds and add curry leaves, when the mustard had crackled add the cauliflower mixture and keep stirring.
Reduce the heat and cover and cook.
If required add 1/4 cup of water, stir, cover and cook until the gravy thickens.
Serve hot with roti,Dal and Paneer butter masala,papads and salad.
