MTR’s Ready to Eat Paneer Butter Masala Gets 3.5 Mishrys

Needless to say that one of the top tier paneer dishes in India includes Paneer Butter Masala. Yes, it’s a combination of everyday ingredients, but its the cooking process that encapsulates the magic. 

Offering a head start, eliminating tons of extra minutes (and dishes), one of India’s oldest masala brands MTR added a new product to their RTE range. ‘Heat and eat’, in this MTR Ready To Eat Paneer Butter Masala review, we speak about the flavors, ingredients, cooking, and most importantly- whether or not the paneer was soft. 

Key details on this masala are explained in the table below.

While reviewing MTR ready to eat Paneer Butter Masala, we took into account the convenience it offers in terms of time-efficiency, flavors, texture, aroma, and appearance.

How close does the ingredient list come to that of a homemade gravy?

1. Taste

Paneer Butter Masala, as the name suggests, has a rich, buttery flavor with a rounded flavor of spices. How did MTR fare?

The paneer should be fresh tasting and the gravy well seasoned.

2. Texture

A thick, creamy gravy with soft, melt-in-the-mouth paneer cubes- this is what we were looking for.

Can a packaged, RTE mix replicate these textures?

3. Convenience 

Time efficiency, authenticity of flavors were the primary sub-parameters here. What tools/ingredients does this call for? Is air travel-friendly, can this be made at work?

Does a RTE mix like this truly make preparing a meal easier?

4. Other Parameters 

Price, packaging, ingredients, shelf life were noted here.

Price + Packaging 

The pack was non-resealable. It had the classic yelloq blue MTR pack like most products from the RTE range. One pack holds 300 grams which is enough for two servings. This is priced at Rs 155/- and has a shelf life of one year. 

Main Ingredients 

This is made with  Water, Tomato, Paneer (15%),  Onion (7%), Butter (3%), Refined Sunflower Oil, Cashew Nuts (1.4%), Cream, Garlic Paste, Mixed Spices, Sugar, Ginger Paste, Iodised Salt, Green Chilli, Leaves, Dried Fenugreek Leaves.

It has no preservatives or additives.

How did we make this?

‘How to cook’ has been explained on the back of the pack. There are three alternate methods of cooking- on a stove top, immersion, and microwave cooking.

We heated this RTE dish on a stove top for around 3-4 minutes.

Aroma + Appearance 

The gravy was a natural shade of orange, not artificial at all. We could see small cubes of paneer that weren’t exactly milky white, but had a hint of light brown. There were no stale or industrial aromas, that we appreciated.

Taste + Texture

The texture was fairly impressive but the taste, not so much.

MTR RTE Paneer Butter Masala had a homestyle gravy. It was thick, creamy, and had bits of onions that elevated the texture. As for paneer, the cubes were soft- which spoke of the freshness. They weren’t chewy or dry.

Coming to the flavor, the most dominant ingredient in the flavor profile was garlic. It had the pungent warming notes that a gravy like Paneer Butter Masala needs. The salt was rounded, no complaints there. With a medium-high spice kick, we loved how kasoori methi added a punch of freshness.

That being said, the flavors are such that they turn overwhelming after two-three bites.

Here are some interesting FAQs on MTR ready to eat paneer butter masala.

Mishry’s experience with MTR Ready To Eat Paneer Butter Masala was positive. We were pleasantly surprised to witness soft, fresh, creamy cubes of paneer in an equally rich and thick gravy. While the seasoning was balanced, there was a pertinent taste that overwhelms the palette a few bites later.

What MTR products are a staple in your pantry? Let us know.