Paneer Masala

Paneer curry without onion and garlic – does it sound a bit weird? May be because we don’t normally get the best paneer curry without onion and garlic, isn’t it? But this is not the case with this one 🙂

As you all are aware of, the 9 day auspicious period of Navratri is going on and most Indians prefer not to eat onion- garlic  during this period. Keeping this in mind, I have tried a paneer curry, without onion and garlic. It was my first attempt but believe me when you will taste it, you wouldn’t find much of a difference as compared to onion-garlic gravy based  paneer. Further, this is a quick and an easy one.

The ingredients for this Paneer Curry are:

1. Paneer : 250 grams
2. Poppy seeds (Khus khus) : 2 Tbsp
3. Tomato : 3
4. Green chilli : 3
5. Yogurt : 1/2 cup
6. Ginger : 1 tsp
7. Asafoetida : a pinch
8. Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
9. Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
10. Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
11. Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
12. Garam masala : 1/4 tsp
13. Salt : to taste
14. Oil / clarified butter (ghee) : 1-2Tbsp

Method :

Cut the paneer into cubes; soak it in boiling water and keep it aside (covered).

Wash poppy seeds and soak them in water for an hour. Then grind it in a mixer and make a paste.

Next grind tomato, green chilli, ginger in the mixer and then add yogurt and grind them again.

Heat oil/ghee in a pan; do tempering with asafoetida and cumin seeds. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder, sauté for a minute.

Add the poppy seeds paste and sauté it again for 2-3 minutes.

Add tomato-yogurt paste and stir continuous till the ghee separates from the spices (it will take about 5-6 minutes).

Add salt and water – according to your desired consistency of the gravy. When it gets to boil then add paneer cubes and garam masala, and cook for further 2-3 minutes. Your spicy paneer masala without onion-garlic is ready to be served!

Insider Tips / Finer Points :

• You are welcome to add onion and garlic as per choice.

• You may use cashew nuts (2Tbsp) instead of poppy seeds.

• If you want more spicy then add 1/4 tsp garam masala towards the end.

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