The Mughals came to India in the 1500s and forever changed the landscape of North Indian cuisine. They introduced flavorful curries, aromatic rice dishes and delectable, rich desserts. To this day, most restaurants in India and elsewhere that serves “authentic Indian cuisine” mainly draw inspiration from the many Mughal recipes that have become an inherent part of Indian food culture. The Mughal cuisine is characteristic for its liberal use of spices, generous quantities of fat, like ghee and heavy cream and the use of dry fruits like raisins and figs. They also had a particular fondness for the expensive spice saffron, which they sourced from Kashmir and added to curries, rice as well as desserts and sweets! The Mughals were so indulgent that they used silver foil, which was silver or gold beaten into thin sheets called vark to garnish their rice and sweets with. So it is not surprising that the Mughalai cuisine appeals to everyone’s palate!
This recipe is for an onion and cream based gravy with vegetables and paneer. This gravy has a very different flavor than most others as it does not utilize tomatoes in the base gravy unlike most other recipes. It is very easy and can be prepared in about half an hour!
Ingredients
- Onions- 2 medium sized
- Green chilies- 2 to 3
- Cloves- 2
- Cinnamon- one inch piece
- Cumin seeds-1 tsp
- Peppercorns- 4 to 5
- Cardamom -2
- Bay leaf- 1
- Ginger Garlic paste- 1 1/2 tsp
- Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp
- Chili powder- ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Ghee- 1 bsp
- Oil -2 tbsp
- Milk- ¾ cup
- Heavy milk cream- 3 tbs
- Saffron- few strands
- Cashew nuts- 2 tbs
- Paneer cubes- ½ cup
- Coriander leaves or kasoori methi powder for garnishing
VEGETABLES
- Carrot, cut into medium sized pieces- 1 no.
- Cauliflower- around 7 florets
- Green peas- ¼ cup
- Baby corn, cut into medium sized pieces- 4 nos.
- Potato, cut into small cubes- 1 small
Method
1) Add the roughly chopped onions to a saucepan with about half a cup of water and let it cook for ten to fifteen minutes on low heat.
2) Once onions have cooked and cooled, drain any excess water and grind it along with green chilies in a mixer.
3) Heat some oil and ghee in a pan. Add the whole spices which include cloves, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom and bay leaf.
4) After about 2 minutes, the spices will begin to crackle. At this stage add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute or two.
5) To the spices, mix in the onion-chili paste, add salt and let it fry for about two minutes.
6) Now add the chopped vegetables along with garam masala powder, chili powder and turmeric powder. Stir it well and add to it the milk and let it simmer covered for seven to eight minutes to cook the vegetables well.
7) Meanwhile, soak cashew nuts in warm water for ten minutes and then grind it into a fine paste.
8) To warm milk cream, add a few strands of saffron to impart distinct yellow colour.
9) Once the vegetables are cooked, add cashew paste and saffron cream and mix well. If consistency is too thick, a little water can be added.
10) Lastly, add the cubed paneer and let it simmer on a low flame for a minute.
11) Garnish with fresh coriander or kasoori methi powder.
Serve it warm with roti or mildly flavored rice!
