Paneer Gravy (No onion No garlic)

Creamy, velvety, delicious paneer curry recipe without onion and garlic. It is vegetarian, nut free, gluten free and can be enjoyed with naan, paratha or rice.

The gravy for this paneer dish is tomato based and has been seasoned with aromatic spices like bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom and garam masala etc. In general most Indian paneer gravies are thickened with cashews or nuts but this recipe stands apart as it gets its richness from & creaminess from melon seeds.

Melon seeds, also known as magaj or magaz, are basically seeds from musk melon (kharbooza). They can be enjoyed as snack or added to gravies / desserts to thicken them. Similarly ‘Char Magaz’ (where char means four), a combination of four types of melon seeds – pumpkin, watermelon, muskmelon and cucumber, is also used as thickening agent in curries.

This paneer sabzi is also a great option if you are searching for tried and tested ‘Jain Paneer recipe’. It turns so delicious, flavourful that no one will even realise it has no onion no garlic. Along with paneer, you can also add sautéed capsicum, coloured bell peppers, boiled peas (matar) to the gravy or replace paneer with tofu to make the dish dairy free.

It can also be consumed during Navratri as many people avoid onion or garlic during this time. If you are making it for fasting (vrat / upvas), then feel free to modify the paneer masala by adding spices of your choice.

Paneer is a type of Indian cottage cheese made by curdling milk with acidic medium like vinegar or lemon juice. You can use store bought, frozen or fresh homemade paneer. Sometimes packaged paneer can be little hard. To make it tender, soak in warm water (not hot water) for 5-10 minutes before adding to the gravy.

Apart from musk melon seeds, I like to add some cream or fresh malai for additional creaminess. Whisk the malai well before adding to the gravy.

If you want to make it low calorie, then skip adding cream or reduce its quantity. The paneer sabzi can be enjoyed with any type of flatbread like paratha, naan, poori, chapati, singhara poori or even jeera rice.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Paneer (Cottage Cheese) – 200 grams
• Tomatoes – 4 medium
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Green Chilli – 1
• Ghee / Oil -1 tbsp
• Cream / Malai- 3 to 4 tbsp
• Melon Seeds (Magaj) – 1/4 cup
• Sugar – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
• Spices:
  • Bayleaf – 1
  • Cinnamon Piece – 1/2 inch
  • Green Cardamom (lightly crushed)- 2 pods
  • Hing (Asafoetida) – A pinch
  • Black Cardamom – 1 (optional)
  • Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder) – 1/4 tsp
  • Red Chilli Powder – 3/4 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Coriander Powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Garam Masala – 1/4 tsp
  • Kasuri Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)- 1/2 tsp

Note:

1. If you are making this recipe for Navratri vrat, then use whatever spices you consume during fasting. Red chilli powder can be substituted with crushed black pepper.
2. Instead of melon seeds, you can use cashews. To make the gravy vegan (dairy free), use tofu instead of paneer and coconut milk instead of cream.

Directions:

Step 1:
Soak melon seeds (or cashews) in 1/3 cup warm water for 15 minutes. By the time they are soaking let’s move to next steps.

Step 2:
Blend together roughly chopped tomatoes, green chilli & ginger to make smooth puree. Keep aside. Heat ghee or oil in a pan. Add whole spices- bay leaf, cinnamon, hing & cardamom to it. Saute till spices begin to release their aroma.

Step 3:
Add blended tomatoes to the pan and mix well. Cook on medium flame till they begin to thicken up.

Step 4:
Once the gravy begins to thicken up, add jeera powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt & sugar. Mix well and cook till the masala gravy starts releasing the fat & becomes glossy.

Step 5:
Blend soaked melon seeds (with water) to get smooth paste. Add it to the masala and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously. Add 3/4 cup to 1 cup water to get desired gravy consistency.

(Optional- At this step you can remove bayleaf, cinnamon, black cardamom & discard them).

Step 6:
Bring the gravy to boil first and then simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add garam masala, kasuri methi (crush it between your palms first), cream and mix well. Taste and adjust salt or spices as per your taste.

Step 7:
Cut paneer into cubes or triangles. Add them to the gravy, mix gently and let the paneer simmer in gravy for 2-3 minutes to let it absorb all flavours.

Garnish with cream, kasuri methi or chopped coriander / cilantro before serving. Enjoy with paratha, tandoori roti, poori, naan or jeera rice.

Tips:

1. Do not cook paneer for too long as otherwise it can turn chewy. If you are using store bought paneer, then soak it in warm water for 5-10 minutes to make it soft.
2. Any leftover curry can be stored in an airtight container in fridge for 2-3 days. As the gravy becomes thick with time, add a splash of water or milk before reheating in microwave or on stovetop.
3. Here I have added paneer directly to the tomato gravy but if you wish, you can also sauté it first on a pan on medium-high heat till the paneer cubes get golden brown from outside.
4. The paneer masala can be made in advance & can be kept frozen for upto 2 weeks. Do not add cream & paneer to it for longer shelf life, add them just before serving.

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(P.S: The recipe was originally published on 14th Oct’2015 and has been updated with better recipe, images and additional tips.)

If you try this paneer tomato curry recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

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(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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