Mix Veg Butter Masala .. Punjabi Makhni Gravy

We have a friend who has been suffering from Chronic Allergy reactions and due to which she has got a lot of diet restrictions in her daily meals. She  has got a long list of what’s NOT allowed to her and a smaller one for the things she is allowed to have. Things we do include in our daily diet like turmeric, garlic etc.. She can’t have them.. At least till the time her medicinal course is going on, she cant have them. Funny, we don’t realize the presence of these minor ingredients unless we are being refrained from having them.

A few days back, on her Birthday, all girls in our group decided to plan a surprise birthday party for her.. Keeping in mind the edibles she is allowed to have off course. At first, it didn't seem that bad but later when her husband actually handed over the list to us.. It was a miser !! With a handful of vegetables and half of the usual spices to be used, we were all stuck with the choices of what to make, rather what not to make…. Since it was supposed to be a party, we wanted a mix of both light and gravy dishes along with some base accomplishments. Since she was also not allowed to have baked items, we decided on rice for that. For the curries and main course, we divided the work among ourselves, as in who will prepare what dish. I got the chance to prepare dessert and a Gravy based main course.

For the dessert, I made this Whole Wheat Halwa which was extremely delicious (not to brag myself) , and she cut it as her B’Day cake. Again, since she was not allowed bakery items, hence no cake L And for the gravy dish, I prepared this Veg Makhni or Veg Butter Masala with the help of another friend of mine. The recipe was suggested by another friend, from this video of UK Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi. To cut the story short, we made this delicious Veg Butter Masala without Onion and Garlic and to further pat my back, it was the best vegetable gravy dish I have prepared till date..

It seems like a lot of things to do in this recipe, but once you try it, its really simple and uses very few ingredients than you might think. 

What you need ?

For Tomato Gravy:

• 1 kg ripe red tomatoes 
• 7-8 green Cardamoms
• 1 sprig of Mace (Javithri)
• Salt to taste 
• 2 tsp Red Chili powder
• 7 tbsp Butter 

For Vegetable Base gravy

• 4-5 garlic pods, minced 
• 3 cups of assorted vegetables, chopped small 
• 2 tbsp Butter 
• 1 tbsp Oil 
• 4- 5 green chilies, chopped into Julians 
• 1 Large piece of Ginger, chopped lengthwise
• Salt to taste 
• 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi 
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Garam Masala (optional)

How to Make?

• First heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and shallow fry all the vegetables on medium flame, for 8-10 minutes. Keep aside. 

• Heat 5 tbsp of butter in the same pan, and throw in cardamom pods in it along with the mace. Fry for a minutes and then add chopped tomatoes. Cook for around 10-12 minutes until the tomatoes get all mushy. Add salt and red chili powder. Cook for some more time and turn off the flame.
• Let it cool down a bit and then blend it in a mixer. Strain it well in a bowl, keep it aside.

• Now, for the gravy, Heat 1 tbsp of oil with 2 tbsp of Butter in the pan and add green chili julians and ginger pieces. Fry them and then add all the vegetables, cook for 5-6 minutes.

• Add tomato puree now and cook further for like 7-8 minutes. Add cream and sugar and simmer further for 4-5 minutes. Turn off the flame. 

• Garnish with a pinch of Garam Masala and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with Naan or Rice 

My Notes: 

• You can totally skip Sugar, but this slight addition does bring out the flavour very well. 
• Yes, I agree the cream is like a cherry on top of all the butter and Sugar thing, but without this, its difficult to get that creamy texture we all crave for. So go ahead and indulge yourself in this luxurious and rich Gravy.