This Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry is delicious, loaded with Indian flavors, and made without onion and garlic. It consists of soft paneer, bell peppers, and spinach in a creamy, velvety makhani gravy!
You do not need a whole bunch of fancy ingredients to make this delicious restaurant-style Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry. It is easy and quick to make with pantry staple ingredients.
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Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry without Onion Garlic
This Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry is rich, creamy, and flavorful. It is made without onion and garlic. Its smooth and velvety gravy is moderately spicy and has the peppery taste of bell peppers.
I added a handful of baby spinach to this curry. They make the dish more nutritious and also pleasantly add a slight crunch.
Making this dish is easy; the recipe will give you a delicious restaurant-style paneer curry. It is comforting and satisfying, served with Indian flatbread or rice.
Like my other curry recipes, this paneer dish without onion and garlic does not require a lot of ingredients. You can make it with pantry staples readily available in your kitchen.
If you follow a strict Jain diet, you can skip the spinach in the recipe and still have a delicious paneer curry.
Why You Will Love This Paneer Dish
- This Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry is comforting and satisfying.
- It is delicious and loaded with pleasant flavors.
- The Makhani gravy is creamy and velvety smooth.
- The recipe is easy and made without onion and garlic.
- It is highly aromatic and flavorful with pantry staple ingredients.
- It is perfect to serve with Naan, Paratha, Roti, or Jeera Rice for a complete meal.
Ingredients and Notes
- Paneer: A fresh and soft Paneer is essential for any Paneer recipe. I usually make Paneer at home, which guarantees a soft, fresh, and creamy block. Making Paneer at home is not difficult at all; you can check out this Homemade Paneer recipe.
- Bell Peppers: Bell peppers provide a sweet and peppery taste to this dish. You can add any colored bell peppers to this curry, or green peppers can be used as an alternative to bell peppers.
- Spinach: Use baby spinach or fresh and tender spinach leaves.
- Tomatoes: Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry is tomato-based, so we must choose fresh and ripe tomatoes. If we use unripe tomatoes, the curry will be unpleasant and sour.
- Cashews: Since this recipe does not include onion and garlic, we must add other ingredients besides tomatoes to make the gravy thick and rich. Adding cashews makes the sauce thick and creamy, balancing the tanginess of the tomatoes.
- Ginger and Chili: Ginger provides delicious, earthy, and spicy flavors to the curry. You can add more or fewer green chilies to your taste preference.
- Oil: Instead of using only oil, you can use a combination of oil and butter.
- Spices: I used only pantry staple ground spices: turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala. You can check out this homemade Punjabi Garam Masala recipe. If you would like to add the kitchen king masala, get the recipe here: Kitchen King Masala Recipe (No Onion No Garlic).
- Cream: Cream makes the gravy creamier and more decadent. However, it is optional, and you can skip it.
- Sugar: A little sugar enhances the flavors of the curry.
- Kasoori Methi: Kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves add a pleasant flavor to the dish.
- Cilantro: The curry is incomplete without the addition of freshly chopped cilantro.
How To Make Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry
Making The Tomato Puree
- Add tomatoes, cashews, chili, and ginger to a blender jar and blend into a fine puree.
- If your blender does not make a fine and smooth puree, pass it through the fine sieve.
- Set aside.
Cooking The Bell Peppers and Spinach
- Heat oil in a pan and add chopped bell peppers and a pinch of salt.
- Saute them on medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
- Add the spinach leaves, mix, and cook for a minute or until wilted.
- Do not overcook.
- Remove the bell peppers and spinach mixture from the pan and transfer to a bowl or plate.
- Set aside.
Making the Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry
- Pour the tomato puree into the same pan and bring it to a boil on medium heat, stirring often.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala and mix well.
- Cook the tomato gravy on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring often.
- The gravy should become thick and not have tomatoes’ raw taste and aroma.
- Add the paneer cubes and salt to the gravy.
- Mix well and add water as required to adjust the consistency.
- Cook the curry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Now, add a mixture of bell peppers and spinach.
- Mix well.
- Add sugar, Kasoori methi, cream, and chopped cilantro.
- Mix well and cook the curry for a minute.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the curry to a serving bowl.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this delicious Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry with any Indian flatbread of your choice.
It goes well with Roti, Tandoori Roti, Naan, Kulcha, Paratha, or this Whole Wheat Kulcha (No Yeast) / Kulcha On Tawa.
You can also serve it with plain rice, Jeera Rice, or Pulao.
If you want to make a festive meal, pair Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry with other Dal preparations and accompaniments like Boondi Raita, Pomegranate Raita, or Cucumber Raita.
Helpful Tips For Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry
Paneer: For the best results, use Malai paneer. If you make paneer at home, use only full-fat or whole milk.
Bell Peppers: You can use any color of bell peppers, or green peppers can also be used.
Spinach: If you follow a strict Jain diet and do not consume spinach, you can skip it.
Gravy: It is essential to cook the tomato gravy until the raw taste and aroma of the tomatoes are gone.
Spices: Add spices according to your spice level and preference.
Cream: Adding cream makes the curry rich, but you can skip it if you prefer.
FAQ
Cashews bring richness and creaminess to the curry and make the gravy thicker. So, I would not recommend skipping them, but if you don’t want to use cashews, try to replace them with other options.
Instead of cashews, use blanched almonds (almonds without skin).
Replace with melon seeds (Magastari Seeds), and add 3 tablespoon of melon seeds instead of cashews.
Add more cream than what is mentioned in the recipe.
Place the whole block of paneer or cubes into a container. Add hot water to the container and soak the paneer for at least 20 minutes. If the water gets cold, replace it with hot water. Then, drain the water completely before adding paneer to the gravy.
More Paneer Dishes
Recipe Card
Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry (No Onion No Garlic)
Ingredients
For the Tomato Puree
- 3 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 8-10 cashews
- 1 green chili chopped
- 1- inch ginger, peeled and chopped
For the Curry
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium bell pepper cut into cubes
- 1 cup baby spinach
- Prepared tomato puree
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala or to taste
- 300 g paneer cubes
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon crushed Kasoori methi
- 2-3 tablespoon cream
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
Making the Tomato Puree
- Add tomatoes, cashews, chili, and ginger to a blender jar and blend into a fine puree. If your blender does not make a fine and smooth puree, pass it through the fine sieve. Set aside.
Cooking the Bell Peppers and Spinach
- Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped bell peppers and a pinch of salt. Saute them on medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
- Add the spinach leaves, mix, and cook for a minute or until wilted. Do not overcook.
- Remove the bell peppers and spinach mixture from the pan and transfer to a bowl or plate. Set aside.
Making the Paneer Peppers and Spinach Curry
- Pour the tomato puree into the same pan and bring it to a boil on medium heat, stirring often.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala and mix well.
- Cook the tomato gravy on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. The gravy should become thick and not have the raw taste and aroma of tomatoes.
- Add the paneer cubes and salt to the gravy. Mix well and add water as required to adjust the consistency.
- Cook the curry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Now, add a mixture of bell peppers and spinach. Mix well.
- Add sugar, Kasoori methi, cream, and chopped cilantro. Mix well and cook the curry for a minute.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the curry to a serving bowl.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve this delicious curry with any Indian flatbread of your choice.
- It goes well with Roti, Tandoori Roti, Naan, Kulcha, or Paratha.
- You can also serve it with plain or Jeera Rice.
Notes
- Paneer: For the best results, use Malai paneer. If you make paneer at home, use only full-fat or whole milk.
- Bell Peppers: You can use any color of bell peppers, or green peppers can also be used.
- Spinach: If you follow a strict Jain diet and do not consume spinach, you can skip it.
- Gravy: It is essential to cook the tomato gravy until it does not have the raw taste and aroma of tomatoes.
- Spices: Add spices according to your spice level and preference.
- Cream: Cream makes the curry rich, but you can skip it if you want.
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think.