No onion No garlic Paneer Butter Masala is one of my favourite everyday cooking dish. Its easy to make and so tasty and looks almost restaurant quality. Its healthy as it has Paneer a rich source of protein for vegetarians and cashews which are again very healthy.
Cashews and melon seeds give this dish a rich gravy without any onion and garlic. the whole spices lends gentle flavour of this home cooked heavenly dish.
Many religions believe onion garlic to be tamsik food and they don’t consume it . It is also not consumed during navratras and fasts. Try this version without onion garlic and then you wont be ever tempted to make this with onion garlic. Enjoy the goodness of healthy soul nourishing food.
Makes for 4
Cooking time 20 mins
Ingredients
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) cubed– 300 gms
Tomato, medium – 5
Curd – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 1 de-seeded and chopped
Ginger – 1 inch piece grated
Bay leaf – 1
Star anise – 1
Cloves – 3
Black Cardamom – 1
Coriander powder – 3 tsp
Kashmiri Red chili powder/ Degi Mirch – 2 tsp
Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp
Cashew Nuts – 10 nos
Melon seeds (magaz) – 2 tsp
Milk plus malai – 1/2 cup
Kasuri methi – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Butter – 2 tbsp
METHOD
- Make a puree of tomatoes, cashews, melon seeds and curd in a blender. blend till smooth.
- In a heavy bottom pan, heat butter and add whole spices – star anise, bay leaf, black cardamom and cloves.
- When the aroma rises, add grated ginger and chopped green chillies. I prefer to de-seed the chillis to remove their heat as my kids prefer it that way.
- Sautee for half a min, add coriander powder, red chilli powder and then add tomato cashew puree and stir well. Add salt as per taste and sugar. Mix, everything well and cover and cook on medium flame till oil separetes. Avoid adding water unless absolutely necessary. keep stirring in between. Keep covered to avoid tomato puree splashing around.
- Once, oil separates, add milk and malai, kasuri methi , paneer cubes and bring to boil.
- Add garam masala and fresh chopped coriander and a dollop of butter to serve hot with chappatis, naan or even steamed rice.
