Vegetable makhani or vegetable makhanwala is a very rich gravy with mixed vegetables cashew, onion tomato and cream based. This goes very well with naan, roti or any mild pulaos. We had lunch last weekend at Nalan restaurant here in Singapore. I wrote about it in Instagram too. This was Aj’s order there and he loved it a lot. He wanted me to taste it and try it out at home. I too tasted and it was too delicious. Rich and smooth. He had with plain steamed basmati rice and dal. Today I made it for him along with Jeera rice. This is the first time I have used butter in a gravy and I liked it a lot. I wanted to make it rich, just like the one we tasted at restaurant, so I thought, since this is the first time I am trying, let me not make any compromise in taste. So I was generous with butter as it is supposed to be in makhani gravies. I partially adapted the recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor’s video and made it for my convenience.
Vegetable makhani recipe
Recipe Cuisine:Indian | Recipe Category:Lunch/ Dinner
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
Carrot – 1
Beans – 8
Potato – 1
Green peas – 1/2 cup
Cauliflower, cut into florets – 12 pieces
Onion – 1
Tomato – 3
Garlic – 5 flakes
Cashew nuts - 10
Red chilli powder – 1 & 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder– 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi – 2 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Cream – 1/4 cup
Milk – 1/4 cup
Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Salt – As needed
Beans – 8
Potato – 1
Green peas – 1/2 cup
Cauliflower, cut into florets – 12 pieces
Onion – 1
Tomato – 3
Garlic – 5 flakes
Cashew nuts - 10
Red chilli powder – 1 & 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder– 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi – 2 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Cream – 1/4 cup
Milk – 1/4 cup
Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Salt – As needed
To temper
Butter/ oil – 3 tbsp
Cardamom – 2
Cloves – 2
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Bay leaf – 1
Shah jeera – 2 tsp
Cardamom – 2
Cloves – 2
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Bay leaf – 1
Shah jeera – 2 tsp
Method
- Cube onion and tomato roughly. Peel potato, carrot, cut vegetables into strips as shown in the picture. I used frozen peas.
- Powder cashew first and then add little water or milk at room temperature to grind it to a smooth paste.
- Heat a pan with butter, fry onion first till transparent. Add tomato and fry until soft.
- Cool down and grind to a smooth puree.
- Boil water with little salt, sugar and add the cut vegetables. When it starts to boil again after adding vegetables, switch off the flame and drain the water.
- Heat a pan with butter and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table in order. Add finely chopped garlic. I used my garlic press for this. Give it a fry until garlic turns fragrant.
- Add the vegetables and give it a fry for a minute. Add the pureed onion tomato.
- Mix well and add tomato sauce. Fry for a minute and add the ground cashew.
- Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder, required salt and kasoori methi, crushed in between your palm. Mix and cook in medium flame until shiny/ butter oozes.
- Add cream little by little and mix well. Flame should be in low. Add black pepper powder at this stage.
- Add milk and heat for a minute in low flame. Do not let boil in high flame after adding cream and milk. Otherwise will curdle.
Notes
- Beans will take more time than other vegetables, so when you add vegetables, you can add beans first and boil for 30 sec, then add the other veggies. I used baby beans.
- Cashew paste binds the gravy and there is less chance for curdling. (Apart from adding richness to the gravy.
- Adjust red chilli powder according to your spice level.
- You can add few paneer cubes too.
We had with Jeera rice. You can pair with kulcha or naan too.
