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
- 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.
- 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.
- Gravy Consistency: The gravy thickens as it cools down. Hence, keep the consistency depending on when are you going to eat it.
Easy Swaps
- Nuts & Seeds: You can use any nuts and seeds you have like almonds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.
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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:
- Buckwheat or Buckwheat Flour (kuttu ka aata)
- Amaranth (Rajgira)
- Quinoa
- Water Chestnut Flour (singhade ka aata)
- 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:
- Steamed Rice or Jeera Rice
- Chapati or Parathas
- Buckwheat Pooris or Chapati (video only)
- Salad – cucumber, and pink radish
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
- Quinoa Pulao
- Buckwheat Cheela (Kuttu ka cheela) – fasting recipe
- Beetroot Smoothie Bowl – fasting recipe
- Amaranth (Rajgira) Dates Energy Bars
- 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