Paneer Butter Masala | Paneer Makhani

A tempting royal dish

I recently prepared this mouth-watering and popular dish for a potluck party and it was a hit. My daughter liked it so much that she wanted me to prepare it again the next day, but I told her to wait for a week and I made it again the following week. It came out as delicious as before. We all loved the dish.

Here is how I prepared it. 

Ingredients: (Serves 4) 2 cups Paneer Cubes (Cottage Cheese) A small Onion 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste A pinch of Turmeric Powder 1 tsp red Chili Powder I big Tomato 1 tsp dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)   2 cups Milk 1 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Butter 1 tsp Oil Salt to taste Preparation: Wash and chop onion + tomato into big cubes. Add a very little water to onion and make into a paste. Puree tomato. Keep them aside. Heat a pan and add butter and then oil. When it is hot, add onion paste and stir well. Then add ginger-garlic paste and mix well. After that add turmeric powder + chili powder and tomato puree and stir well. Leave the pan on medium flame and cook for some time until the contents cook well and the oil separates. Finally, add dried fenugreek leaves + milk + sugar + paneer cubes and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and mix well. Then turn off the flame and transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Garnish and serve hot with naans/rotis. A great tasting, aromatic and royal dish is ready to be savored. Yummy!!

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Radish Sprouts Curry

Delicious Radish Sprouts Curry

As we all know, sprouts are packed with lots of nutrition. Sprouts have become an integral part in the daily diet for many people.

There has been a debate whether to eat sprouts raw or cooked. 

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Carrot – Tomato Curry

This is a simple, healthy and tasty curry that can be done with less work.

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Sweet and Spicy Apple Curry

A little sweet, a little spicy – this curry felt so good to the tastebuds. At first I was little skeptical about making this curry, but DH encouraged me to do it. I was really surprised at the yummy taste it got. We loved it as a side dish with chapathis.

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Eggplant – Tomato Curry in Cilantro – Onion Sauce

This is a delicious combination of eggplants and tomatoes cooked in the luscious onion-cilantro sauce. This is a very simple and quick curry to prepare and it makes a great side dish for both rice and chapathis. 

Ingredients:

• 3 Eggplants (I used Japanese Eggplants), chopped into small pieces
• 4 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small Onion, cut into pieces
• A bunch of Cilantro
• 3 or 4 Green Chilies
• Few Curry Leaves
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• 1 tbsp Oil
• Salt

For Seasoning/Tempering:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Black Gram Dal
• ½ tsp Bengal Gram

Preparation:

Combine onions with cilantro + green chilies and grind into a soft paste by adding a little amount of water. Keep Aside. 

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds + urad dal + chana dal + curry leaves and sauté well. 

Later add eggplant + tomatoes and mix well. Add the onion paste to this and mix well. Also add turmeric and stir well. 

Add salt, mix well, cover the pan and leave it on med. low flame for some time. Keep stirring in between. 

When the vegetables appear to be cooked and become soft and all the water gets absorbed, turn off the flame and transfer the curry to a serving bowl. 

Enjoy this delicious curry with rice or chapathis. Yummy!!

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Tomato Curry with Coconut Masala

This is a simple tomato curry dressed up with flavorful and yummy masala to make it more palatable. It not only smells great but also tastes great!!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups diced Tomato
• ¼ cup dry Coconut Powder
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• 2 tbsp oil
• Few Curry leaves
• A small piece of Ginger, peeled
• 1 or 2 cloves of Garlic
• 8 to 10 red chilies
• A handful of Cilantro

Preparation:

Add coconut + garlic + ginger + red chilies + cumin seeds + lemon juice to a blender jar and grind into a fine paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add tomatoes and sauté well.

Add curry leaves + turmeric and mix well. Cover and leave the pan for some time until tomatoes become soft.

Then add the ground coconut masala to the curry and mix well. Add salt as required and allow the curry to cook for some time on a low flame.

When all the water from the tomatoes gets absorbed and the curry becomes thick, turn off the flame and add chopped cilantro.

Mix well and transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Enjoy this yummy curry with rice or chapathis.

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Creamy Tomato Curry

This is the simplest of simple curries!! Addition of milk in the curry makes it so creamy and delicious. I make this often as it is liked by the entire family. 

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Besan Curry

This is a very easy and yummy curry made with besan. Whenever I was out of vegetables, I make this curry to go with chapathis.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Chickpea Flour (Senagapindi, Besan)
• 2 cups Buttermilk (Sour is better)
• 1 or 2 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 small Onion, chopped fine
• 1 Tomato, chopped fine
• Handful of Cilantro, chopped fine
• Salt

For Seasoning/Tempering:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ¼ tsp Bengal Gram (Pachi Senagapappu, Chana dal)
• ¼ tsp Black Gram (Minapappu, Urad dal)
• 1 tsp Oil
• Few Curry Leaves

Preparation:

Mix together besan + chili powder + salt. Pour buttermilk and mix well. The batter should be little thin.

In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds + both dals and fry until the dals turn golden brown in color.

Then add curry leaves + onions + tomatoes and sauté well until the veggies are cooked well. Also add cilantro and mix well.

Finally add the prepared batter to the pan and keep stirring until the mixture thickens and besan loses its raw smell. Keep the flame on low.

Turn off the flame and transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Enjoy this yummy curry with chapathis. This curry tastes so good when still hot.

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Black Chickpea Sprouts Korma – Oil Free

This is another healthy curry I prepared with sprouts. And this is fat free too!!

I sprouted Black Chickpeas in the same manner I sprouted Yellow peas. Check out my “Sprouted Yellow Peas Curry” to find out how I sprouted these beans.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sprouted Black Chickpeas (Kala Chana, Mudi Senagalu)
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Tomato, cut into wedges
• 2 or 3 Green Chilies, chopped fine (can be replaced with red chili powder)
• A pinch of Turmeric
• A handful of Cilantro
• A clove of Garlic, chopped
• A small piece of Ginger, chopped
• 2 or 3 tsp Chickpea Flour (Besan, Senagapindi)
• Salt

Preparation:

Add the sprouted black chana in a bowl or pan, pour some water, cover and let it cook for some time. When the chana looks soft and cooked, add all the chopped veggies and mix well. Add turmeric and cilantro and stir well. Pour little water and leave the pan for some time until the onions become soft.

Mix besan with little water to make gravy and pour into chana mixture. This makes the curry into rich gravy. Adjust salt and turn off the flame. That’s all! Delicious, mouth-watering curry is ready!!

This korma goes well with chapathis. Enjoy!!

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Sprouted Yellow Peas Curry – Oil Free

This is a healthy (oil free) and yummy curry prepared using dry yellow peas. Here is how I sprouted these yellow peas.

Wash and soak yellow peas in plenty of water overnight. Then drain all the water and place them in a colander with small holes. Cover the colander tightly with a saran wrap. Keep it in a warm place. You must see sprouts after 8 to 12 hrs.

Check out Meera’s post on how to make different sprouts. I followed her tips on sprouting to the letter. Thanks for the wonderful tips Meera!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sprouted Yellow Peas
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 or 3 Green Chilies, chopped fine (can be replaced with red chili powder)
• A pinch of Turmeric
• A handful of Cilantro
• A clove of Garlic, chopped
• A small piece of Ginger, chopped
• ½ tsp Garam Masala
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• Salt

Preparation:

Add the sprouted yellow peas in a bowl or pan, pour some water, cover and let it cook for some time. When the peas looks soft and cooked, add all the chopped veggies and mix well. Add turmeric and cilantro and stir well. Pour little water and leave the pan for some time until the onions become soft.

Finally add garam masala and mix well. Adjust salt and turn off the flame after all the water gets absorbed and the curry becomes little dry (not too dry).

This curry goes well with chapathis.

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Medley Masala Curry

This curry is the fusion of many interesting ingredients, prepared by DH. It tasted so delicious and we enjoyed it a lot!!

Don’t get scared by looking at the big list of ingredients. Preparation is soooo easy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of Pineapple chunks (20 oz) equal to 2.5 cups, drained
• Few Cashews
• Few whole Almonds, soaked for some time and peeled
• A handful of Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
• A handful of Orange Bell Pepper, chopped
• A small piece of Ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 or 4 Green Chilies, chopped
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 big Carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces
• ¼ cup Green Peas, frozen
• ¼ cup Corn, frozen
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 2 or 3 dry red Chilies
• ½ tsp Soya Sauce
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 tsp Oil
• Salt

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Stir well and then add cashews + almonds + red chilies and sauté well.

Then add all the other ingredients and sauté well. Add some water, cover and keep the pan on medium flame until the veggies are cooked and all the water gets absorbed. Adjust salt.

This curry goes well with chapathis.

I am sending this curry to 'Side dish for chapathi' event hosted by Viki of Viki's Kitchen.

Thank you Sanghi and Viki for reminding me about the event .

On a different Note:

Dear Ann of Happy and Healthy Cooking has passed Kreative Blogger Award and the tag. Thanks for your nice gesture Ann!!

Last but not the least, here are few snaps of my rose babies from our little garden. Our new rose plant just started blooming!!

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Fusion Curry (Chickpeas and Kidney Beans in Pineapple Gravy)

I recently bought a big pack of canned Pineapple chunks as I wanted to try some recipes with pineapple. For the first recipe, I tried using pineapples in a curry form that would go well with chapathis. First I just added chickpeas to it, but later wanted to add kidney beans too, just wondering how they will taste with pineapple. But to my amazement, they all co-operated very well and turned into a delicious, aromatic and colorful curry within minutes.

This is so easy and fast recipe. Here it goes:

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Pineapple chunks (20 oz) equal to 2.5 cups, drained
• 1 can of Chickpeas (14 oz) equal to 1.75 cups, drained
• 1 can of Kidney Beans (14 oz) equal to 1.75 cups, drained
• 1 medium sized Potato, peeled and chopped into cubes
• A handful of Cilantro Leaves
• Some Curry Leaves
• 4 or 5 Green Chilies
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Oil
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• Salt to taste
  

Preparation:

Grind together pineapple chunks (don’t add juice) + green chilies + cilantro into a fine paste. No need to add water as pineapples already has some juice in them. Keep aside.

In a pan add chickpeas + kidney beans + potato pieces + curry leaves + cumin seeds and oil. Mix well, add ¼ cup water and turmeric, cover and leave on medium flame until all the water is absorbed and potatoes are cooked well (approx. 5 minutes).

To this, add the pineapple paste and mix well. Leave the pan for 5 more minutes until all the pineapple essence is absorbed and turn off the flame. Don’t let the curry to become too dry. It should be moist and gravy like (look at the picture). Adjust salt.

Transfer the yummy curry into a serving bowl and enjoy with your rotis/chapthis.

Hope you liked another crazy but yummy creation from my kitchen!!

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Potato Curry in Celery Gravy

Are you looking for ways to sneak in healthy vegetables in your kid’s food? Me too! These days, it’s getting so difficult to make the kids eat healthy stuff. Same with my kids too! So I always sharp my brain to find ways to sneak in healthy vegetables into their food. This curry is one among those sneak ins. My kids like potato curry so much, so thought of making it healthier by adding some celery to it, but not visibly. Celery is an excellent source of Vitamin C, which helps build a healthy immune system.

Ingredients:

• 5 Potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 6 Green Chilies
• 1 Onion, chopped fine or lengthwise
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup Celery, chopped into small pieces
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Oil
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Rasam Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp Ginger Paste
• A few Curry Leaves
• A handful of Cilantro
• Salt to taste
  

Preparation:

Grind together celery + green chilies + cilantro into a fine paste. Add little water if needed. Keep aside.

In a pressure pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds. Then add chopped onion + tomatoes + ginger paste + garlic paste and stir well.

Later add curry leaves and rasam powder along with turmeric and mix well. Now add the chopped potatoes and the celery paste and mix well. Add a glass of water and salt. Cover and wait for 3 whistles.

When all the pressure is gone, check if the curry is thick and good. If it turned out so watery, mash some of the cooked potatoes with the back of a spatula. It helps to make the curry thick like gravy without ruining the taste. Adjust salt.

Enjoy hot with rotis/chapathis. This curry tasted so great with the subtle taste of celery. But I must tell you celery didn’t dominate the original taste of potato curry. You can’t even see the green color of celery in the curry! Nobody guessed I added celery paste in that!

Note: This curry can also be made in a regular pan in the same manner.

This is my contribution to “Cooking for Kids Event- Potato”, hosted by Deepa Hari. ‘Cooking for kids’ event is originally started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

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Mung Bean Sprouts in Tomato Gravy

Mung Bean Sprouts are mostly used in the Asian cuisine and they are full of vitamins like A, B, C, E and also rich in calcium. Here is a healthy curry I prepared recently with these bean sprouts. It tasted so delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups Mung Bean Sprouts
• 1 small Onion, cut into tiny pieces
• 1 tsp Ginger Paste
• ½ tsp Garlic Paste
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Oil
• 4 whole Cloves
• ½ tsp Cinnamon Powder
• ¼ cup Green Peas
• ¼ cup Milk
• Salt

Preparation:

In a pan, heat oil and add all the ingredients one by one except milk, cover and let cook for some time.

When the mixture seems cooked add milk and salt. Leave it for sometime on medium flame until all the water in tomatoes gets absorbed and the curry becomes thick.

When it is done, transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with chapathis/puris.

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Potato Stew

I have prepared this curry long back and is taking rest in my drafts. I thought this would make a perfect entry for Srivalli’s Curry Mela.

Please Note: Again I used canned black-eyed peas in this recipe (I like to use different kinds of beans and peas as they are healthy and filling). If dried black-eyed peas are used, make sure to soak those for atleast 5 or 6 hours before cooking.

Ingredients:

• 6 small Potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 small Onion, cut into thin strips
• 4 or 5 green chilies, cut into small pieces
• 1 can of Black-eyed Peas (1 cup dried Black-eyed Peas)
• ½ cup green Peas
• 2 small Tomatoes, cut into small pieces
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cardamom Seeds
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 4 whole Cloves
• 1 tsp Ginger + Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp Rice Flour (to thicken the curry)
• 2 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp ground Cinnamon
• Salt and water as required

Preparation:

I used pressure pan to cook this stew. Add oil to the pressure pan. When it is hot, add cumin seeds + cardamom seeds + cloves + ground cinnamon and fry well.

Then add the chopped veggies (onions + potatoes + green chilies + tomatoes) and fry for 2 minutes.

Later add the black-eyed peas + green peas + turmeric + ginger-garlic paste + garam masala and stir well.

Add salt and some water just to soak the contents. Then close the pressure pan with the lid and leave it until 3 whistles. Then switch off the stove.

When all the pressure is gone, open the lid carefully and stir the contents well. If the curry is too watery, add the rice flour paste (made by mixing rice flour with some water) when the curry still hot and mix well. Adjust salt and transfer the curry into a serving bowl.

Enjoy this stew with rotis or rice.

This flies off to Srivalli’s Curry Mela.

I am also sending this to EasyCraft’s “Color in Food” event. I chose the color yellow as the stew looks yellow.

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Vegetarian Chili

This is a blend of so many healthy ingredients and of course, tasted so great too! Madhu (my hubby) made this gravy to go with rotis.

Please Note: Here we have used canned white beans and pink beans. If using dried beans, make sure to soak the beans for at least 5 or 6 hours before cooking them. 1 can of beans can be substituted with 1 cup of dried beans.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of White beans
• 1 can of Pink beans
• 4 or 5 Cloves
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• ½ tsp ground Cinnamon
• ¼ cup Capsicum, cut into small pieces
• ¼ cup Carrots, cut into small pieces
• ¼ cup Celery, cut into small pieces
• ¼ cup Zucchini, cut into small pieces
• A handful of Spinach leaves
• 1 medium Tomato, cut into small pieces
• 1 small Onion, cut into small pieces
• 3 or 4 green Chilies cut into small pieces
• Handful of Cilantro
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Rice Flour (to thicken the gravy)
• Water as required
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

In a pan, heat the oil and add cumin seeds along with garlic + cloves + cinnamon and fry well.

Then add all the veggies along with the cilantro + white beans + pink beans and stir well. Add turmeric + garam masala + salt and mix well. Pour some water, cover and leave the pan on medium flame for some time.

Mix rice flour with little water and stir well so that no lumps are formed. Pour this liquid into the curry to get the consistency of gravy. Leave it for some time, stir well and switch off the flame.

Transfer the gravy into a serving bowl. Enjoy this vegetarian chili with chapathis.

This is my contribution to Srivallis Curry Mela.

And I am also sending this to Sunitha’s “Think Spice….Think Favorite” event. My favorite spice is “Cloves”, which I use in many recipes. I like the strong aroma and hot and pungent taste of the cloves and of course its medicinal values.

I am sending this to EasyCraft’s “Color in Food” event. I chose the color Brown as the chili looks light brownish.

This is also my contribution to "Eat Healthy - During Pregnancy” event hosted by Sangeeth.

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Potato Fusion

Wondering about the name? I just named this gravy that way as this is a mixture of so many vegetables and spices along with lots of potatoes. There is one more specialty for this gravy! I used the pickle masala again in another form that was sent by Meera of Enjoy Indian Food as a part of Arasuvai Friendship Chain. The masala has given a unique flavor and taste to this gravy. Thanks again for introducing me a new kind of masala, Meera! I am going to keep this masala in stock always in my pantry.

The recipe goes like this:

Ingredients:

• 5 medium potatoes
• 1 cup cut Green Beans
• 1 cup cut Cauliflower florets
• 1 can of Black Eye Peas
• ½ medium Onion
• 2 medium Tomatoes
• 1 orange Bell Pepper
• 1 red Bell Pepper
• Some curry leaves
• 3 tsp Pickle Masala
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ½ tsp Cardamom Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 3 flakes of Garlic
• 2 tsp Rice Flour (to thicken the gravy)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Oil
• Water as required

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes, wash and cut into small cubes. Chop the onion, tomatoes, garlic and the bell peppers into medium pieces. In a pressure pan (a deep bottomed pan also can be used) add all the ingredients except rice flour and pressure cook for 3 whistles. If the normal non-stick pan is being used, follow the same method above and cover the pan with a lid and cook on a medium flame. Just add enough water to cook, not more or not less.

To make the gravy little thicker: Mix the rice flour with very little water and pour it into the cooked gravy or curry and mix well.

Let the gravy stand for 5 minutes and then serve hot with Chapathis or even rice.

Hint: If the curry is too spicy add some plain yogurt to the gravy just before eating.

As this gravy or curry has lots of potatoes, this goes to Sia of Monsoon Spice who is hosting a wonderful event of “Ode to Potato”.

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