Paneer and peas in makhani gravy
A gravy that comes together quite quickly and tastes as beautiful as the one ordered from a restaurant minus the cream and oil.
Paneer or cottage cheese is such a versatile ingredient. Plain with chaat masala or stuffed with dry fruits, it’s always a hit either for a simple dinner at home and when serving to guests.
In this recipe, I am doing a classic combination of cottage cheese and peas which can be enjoyed with any form of Indian bread or even a simple, plain rice. But feel free to use any vegetables of your choice. Here are some substitutions you can do to get the best out of this gravy:
- Pair it with any kofta or
- Boiled and sautéed potato with some little sprinkling of garam masala
- Par boiled cauliflower and peas
- Cottage cheese and capsicum
- Potato and capsicum
- Mix vegetable like peas, corn, beans, carrot
The makhni gravy which is the base of this recipe is called makhni for a reason. Makhni means buttery and therefore a generous amount of oil is used for sautéing the paste and then the cream is added to finish off the dish. No doubt, it tastes delicious but then when making at home for a simple family dinner, my heart just doesn’t allow for such a heavy hand at both oil or cream.
I have also seen many recipes that suggest use of cashews to bring a creaminess to the dish which makes the gravy creamy as well as a healthier option compared to the cream. So here is where my own two bits come with this gravy. I have been part of those days when eating nuts was a treat. Diwali would mean boxful of nuts to be savored and stored for the days to come. My mother would methodically store the nuts in the freezer so the oil from the nuts wouldn’t spoil them making them taste bitter. The nuts were then used over a period of time as a treat or on a special occasion.
In this recipe, therefore aiming to make the gravy both healthy and creamy, I have used a combination of nuts and seeds which not only makes it healthier but also an economical viable option. Melon seeds combined with cashews in equal proportion gives this makhni gravy a smooth, creamy finish making it a simple, everyday dish. I also used this gravy in paneer and black chickpea (kala chana) biryani pie, the recipe of which you can see here.
Recipe Card
Paneer and peas in makhani gravy
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
Indian
PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
20 mins
SERVINGS
4
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: Indian | Category: Mains
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Servings: 4
A gravy that comes together quite quickly and tastes as beautiful as the one ordered from a restaurant minus the cream and oil.
Ingredients
- 500 gm paneer cut into cubed size
- 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
- For the gravy:
- 2 large tomatoes
- ¼ cup cashew nuts
- ¼ cup of magaz seeds (melon seeds)
- 1 medium sized onion
- ½ inch of ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 dry red chilly
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp oil or ghee
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin and coriander powder
- 1 tbsp kashmiri red chilly powder
- Pinch of garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- ¼ cup whisked thick yogurt
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp kasoori methi
- 1 cup water
- Coriander for garnishing
Method
- To make a paste:
- Soak cashew nuts and melon seeds in ½ cup of warm water for at least 30 minutes.
- Grind all the ingredients listed under gravy into a paste with the warm water that you had soaked the nuts in.
- To make the gravy:
- In a pan, put oil or ghee and add bay leaf.
- Sauté it for few seconds and then add the paste and mix well.
- Keep a lid on the pan as the paste tends to splutter all over.
- Occasionally give a quick stir to the paste so that it doesn’t sit at the bottom of the pan.
- Continue to cook the paste on a slow flame for at least 10 minutes.
- Add turmeric powder, cumin and coriander powder, red chilly powder when the paste starts to look dry and sticks on the bottom of the pan.
- Add salt, sugar, a pinch of garam masala and whisked yoghurt to the gravy.
- As the yoghurt has a tendency to split, do keep the flame on low and whisk continuously till it mixes thoroughly with the gravy.
- Add a cup of water to thin out the gravy and adjust the seasoning.
- Finishing the gravy:
- Bring the gravy to a gentle boil and then add the frozen peas, paneer and kasoori methi.
- Put a lid on and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander.
- It can be served with any form of bread, be it roti, paratha or naan.
Notes
- If you want to make this beforehand, I would suggest to complete all the steps till 11. Rest of the steps can be completed just before serving.
- Paneer like any other protein becomes chewy when cooked for longer. My suggestion therefore would be to cut paneer in cube sized pieces before serving, and soak them in boiling salted water for one minute. Drain and put in the gravy. You will get a deliciously soft paneer to enjoy.
- If you don’t have access to fresh paneer, you can use frozen paneer as well. Increase the time of defrosted paneer in boiling salted water to 3-4 min and use.
- If you find the gravy too runny, add a spoonful of roasted chickpea flour (besan) to the yogurt mix. Mix it well and then add it to the gravy.
- If you do not have magaz seeds, you can increase the cashew nut to ½ cup.
- The gravy freezes well so you can make a big batch and keep it for future use.
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