Paneer Makhani (No Onion No Garlic) / Jain Paneer Makhani
This Paneer Makhani is creamy, flavorful, delicious, exquisite, and without onion and garlic! It is one of the most famous Paneer curry dishes in India.
Video
Ingredients
For The Gravy
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 dry red chili
- 2 whole green cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon ginger chopped
- 10-12 cashews
- 3 large tomatoes chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped (optional)
- salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
For The Paneer Makhani
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger chopped
- 1 green chili slit
- 300g paneer cut into cubes
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon crushed Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 2 tablespoon cream (optional)
Instructions
Making The Gravy
- In a pan, take cumin seeds, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, dry red chili, ginger, chopped tomatoes, chopped celery, and cashews.
- Add 1 cup of water into the pan. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, Garam masala powder, and butter.
- Mix well and turn on the heat. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down.
- Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick before blending the mixture.
- After removing the bay leaf and cinnamon stick, take the mixture into the blender. Blend it into a smooth puree. If you feel that your puree is not smooth, then strain it through a fine sieve. Set the gravy aside.
Making The Paneer Makhani
- Heat butter and oil in a pan. Add chopped ginger and green chili, saute for few seconds.
- Add Paneer Cubes and sprinkle some salt to taste. Saute the Paneer cubes for 3-4 minutes on low to medium speed. Stir them gently a few times, making sure not to break the pieces.
- Add red chili powder. Use Kashmiri red chili powder to get a nice color. You can also skip the red chili powder if you do not prefer more chili in your curry.
- After adding red chili powder, immediately pour the gravy into the pan. If you do not pour it right away, the red chili powder will be burnt.
- Give it a good stir and add some water if required to adjust the consistency. And continue cooking for 4-5 minutes.
- Add crushed Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves), chopped coriander, and sugar (if you prefer to add).
- If you prefer to add cream, add 2-3 tablespoon now. It will enhance the creaminess of the curry. I haven't added at this step; instead, I garnished the curry with little cream at the time of serving.
- Mix well and turn off the heat. Take Paneer Makhani into a serving bowl and serve hot with Rice, Roti, Paratha, or Naan.
Notes
-
- Tomatoes: It is best to use fresh and ripe tomatoes.
- Cashews: Cashews bring richness and creaminess to the gravy, so don’t skip them. But in any case, if you don’t want to use cashews, add 3-4 tablespoon of cream to the curry in the final step. Or check the post for tips for substituting cashews.
- Gravy: The key to smooth gravy is to blend the tomato mixture well. If your blender doesn’t grind it well, pass the sauce through a fine sieve. That will make the gravy silky smooth and velvety. Also, cook the gravy for long enough to remove the raw taste of tomatoes.
- Butter: Do not skip butter, as it makes the curry flavorful and lustrous.
Nutrition (Approximate Values)
Calories : 344kcalCarbohydrates : 7gProtein : 12gFat : 30gSaturated Fat : 17gPolyunsaturated Fat : 1gMonounsaturated Fat : 4gTrans Fat : 0.2gCholesterol : 73mgSodium : 39mgPotassium : 201mgFiber : 2gSugar : 2gVitamin A : 856IUVitamin C : 7mgCalcium : 403mgIron : 2mg
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