Blog

Breakfast

Dessert

Dinner

Drinks

Snacks

30 Minute

Baking

Vegan

Navratri Special – No Onion, No Garlic Paneer Gravy

Navratri Special – No Onion, No Garlic Paneer Gravy

No onion, no garlic, and not even heavy milk cream – this recipe is just right for your Navratri fasting season. Also, if you are someone who doesn’t eat onion and garlic, this recipe is for you. You won’t be able to resist licking the plate. It is creamy, rich, and much lighter than the regular paneer gravy recipes. You would want to make it again and again.

Tips to make it right

  1. Gravy Color: To get a nice red color gravy, add red chili powder and turmeric powder (haldi) with tomato puree itself. It cooks for a long time and gives a very nice color to the gravy.
  2. Creamy Texture: Even without the heavy cream and butter, you can get nice and smooth creamy gravy. Soak cashews, poppy seeds, and sunflower seeds in water and then blend into a smooth paste. Cook on medium-low flame until it starts to release the oil.
  3. Gravy Consistency: The gravy thickens as it cools down. Hence, keep the consistency depending on when are you going to eat it.

Easy Swaps

  1. Nuts & Seeds: You can use any nuts and seeds you have like almonds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

If you don’t have time, watch the video instead and if you enjoy it, please Subscribe to our Youtube channel too.

What food items are allowed (or not) in Navratri?

There are two main food items that are not consumed during the Navratri season – onion and garlic. They are considered Tamsik in nature and hence to be avoided. If you are fasting then consuming lentils, grains, any grain flour like whole wheat flour, besan (gram flour), or all-purpose flour, salt, canned food, and the food prepared using onion and garlic are not allowed. Non-vegetarian food items including eggs are also not allowed. Devotees also prefer not to smoke or drink alcohol during these nine days.

Apart from that, you can consume dairy products like curd, milk, paneer, vegetables like potato, tomato, arbi, cucumber, carrot, bottle gourd, eggplant, etc. You can even consume coconut, nuts, and seeds. Spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, cardamom, ajwain, etc. are also allowed.

Moreover, everybody has their own beliefs and follows their own rules. In my opinion, there is nothing right or wrong, allowed or not allowed. You can simply follow what you want. When I was in the hostel, we used to have food prepared with onion and garlic. That is what has been served to us. So, alter the recipe below as per what you eat during the Navratri season.

What grains (or pseudo-grains) can be consumed during Navratri?

Following grains or their flour can be consumed during Navratri fasting season:

  1. Buckwheat or Buckwheat Flour (kuttu ka aata)
  2. Amaranth (Rajgira)
  3. Quinoa
  4. Water Chestnut Flour (singhade ka aata)
  5. Samai (samak ke chawal)

Is this recipe Vegan?

No. This recipe is made with paneer (cottage cheese) and milk. These two ingredients are not plant-based or vegan.

How to serve Paneer Gravy?

You can serve it with the following:

  1. Steamed Rice or Jeera Rice
  2. Chapati or Parathas
  3. Buckwheat Pooris or Chapati (video only)
  4. Salad – cucumber, and pink radish

No onion No garlic Paneer Gravy

Can this recipe be refrigerated?

Yes. Of course. Refrigerate the leftover recipe and consume it within 2 days. It tastes even better the next day because all the flavors get infused with each other well. Re-heat while you want to eat.

More Navratri Recipes

  1. Quinoa Pulao
  2. Buckwheat Cheela (Kuttu ka cheela) – fasting recipe
  3. Beetroot Smoothie Bowl – fasting recipe
  4. Amaranth (Rajgira) Dates Energy Bars
  5. Spinach & Coconut Water Smoothie

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this delicious and mouth-watering Indian curry – Paneer Gravy – at home. It is perfect for lunch or a weekend brunch recipe. You can enjoy it even on fasting days. Make a little extra because it tastes amazing the next day. Since it is made with paneer, cashews, and seeds paste, it is rich in proteins too.

If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love from us

Richa

Navratri Special – No Onion, No Garlic Paneer Gravy

Creamy. Delicious. Lip-Smacking.

This No Onion, No Garlic Paneer Gravy recipe is so delicious that you will even lick your plate. It is creamy without any butter or heavy milk cream which makes it much lighter. Want to know the secret ingredient? Check and find out. 

 

2

Servings

10 min

Prep Time

40 min

Cook Time

50 min

Total Time


Ingredients

Steps

  1. Soak Cashews, sunflower seeds, and poppy seeds in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. 
  2. Prepare Tomato Puree: In a blender, add roughly cut tomatoes, green chilies, and ginger. Blend until smooth. 
  3. Add a little water if needed to blend.
  4. Heat some oil in a saucepan and add tomato puree to it. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well and let it cook on medium flame until it starts to release the oil. Keep stirring in between to prevent burning. 
  5. It takes around 7 to 10 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, prepare a smooth paste of soaked cashews, sunflower seeds, and poppy seeds. 
  7. Add water if needed to blend well.
  8. Once the tomatoes are well cooked and all the moisture is evaporated, add the prepared cashew paste. Mix well. Cook on medium-low flame until it starts to release the oil. It takes around 7 to 10 minutes. Keep stirring.
  9. Add coriander powder, garam masala, and Kasuri methi. Mix well. 
  10. Add milk and water. Mix and lower the flame. Cook until the gravy thickens and you get the desired consistency. It may take around 15 to 20 minutes. 
  11. Once the gravy thickens, add paneer cubes, sugar, and amchoor powder. Mix well and let it cook for around 5 minutes. 
  12. Once done, switch off the flame and add ghee and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve and enjoy with some rice or chapatti :)

FAQs

What food items are allowed (or not) in Navratri?
+
There are two main food items that are not consumed during the Navratri season – onion and garlic. They are considered Tamsik in nature and hence to be avoided. If you are fasting then consuming lentils, grains, any grain flour like whole wheat flour, besan (gram flour), or all-purpose flour, salt, canned food, and the food prepared using onion and garlic are not allowed. Non-vegetarian food items including eggs are also not allowed. Devotees also prefer not to smoke or drink alcohol during these nine days. Apart from that, you can consume dairy products like curd, milk, paneer, vegetables like potato, tomato, arbi, cucumber, carrot, bottle gourd, eggplant, etc. You can even consume coconut, nuts, and seeds. Spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, cardamom, ajwain, etc. are also allowed.

What grains (or pseudo-grains) can be consumed during Navratri?
+
Following grains or their flour can be consumed during Navratri fasting season:
  1. Buckwheat or Buckwheat Flour (kuttu ka aata)
  2. Amaranth (Rajgira)
  3. Quinoa
  4. Water Chestnut Flour (singhade ka aata)
  5. Samai (samak ke chawal)

Top