ISKCON Prasadam are the sacred and sattvic food offered to Lord Krishna in the ISKCON temples daily and then distributed among devotees. Here is the recipe of the sattvic version of Paneer Butter Masala, tweaked to conform with the Temple rules as much as possible to replicate in my home kitchen and strictly no usage of Onion and Garlic.
ISKCON STYLE NO ONION NO GARLIC PANEER BUTTER MASALA – STEP BY STEP RECIPE
- First of all, let’s prepare the masala for this paneer curry. Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a cooking pan and the below mentioned ingredients one by one :
- 1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 4 Cloves
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick(Dalchini)
- 1 tsp of Black Peppercorns
Fry these ingredients together for few seconds.
2. When the cumin seeds starts to splutter, add the next set of spices and herbs one by one as mentioned below :
- a pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
- 1 inch Ginger, roughly chopped into slices
- 2 to 3 Green Chillies, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp of Cashew Nuts
Fry all the ingredients for sometime till the raw smell of ginger and cashew nuts are gone.
3. Here, we have taken four medium size Tomatoes and chopped these roughly.
4. Add the chopped Tomatoes to the pan, add Salt and fry together for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the tomatoes. Meanwhile, tomatoes will release water and will turn completely soft. When the tomatoes becomes mushy, take the masala in a bowl. Add a cup of cold water and cool it down completely.
5. Once the Masala has completely cooled down, grind it into a smooth paste.
6. Now, let’s start with the main part of the Paneer Butter Masala recipe. Heat 1 tablespoon each of Oil and Butter. Heat the butter but do not take it to its smoking point otherwise the butter will burn.
7. Pour the prepared Masala on the heated butter and add the below mentioned spices one by one :
- 1/2 tsp of Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp of Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp of Red Chilly Powder
Give a nice stir to mix these dry spices with the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer the sauce on low flame for 5 minutes.
8. Next, check the salt and add more as per your taste. Here, we are adding 200 grams of Paneer or Indian Cottage Cheese cut into cubes. Gently give a stir in order to dip the paneer cubes into the curry sauce. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
9. Lastly, add Garam Masala powder, little sugar just to balance the flavors (its completely optional though), Chat Masala, crushed Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and a generous amount of fresh cream. Gently mix these ingredients with the curry and simmer for two to three minutes more.
10. Garnish with a handful of chopped Coriander leaves and a generous amount of butter. Switch off the gas and keep the paneer butter masala covered for 5 minutes before serving.
Finally, ISKCON temple style no onion no garlic Paneer Butter Masala prasadam is Ready!! Enjoy with Roti, Chapati, Paratha or plain Naan. It tastes so divine and delicious.
Jai Jagannath!!
ISKCON STYLE NO ONION NO GARLIC PANEER BUTTER MASALA – WATCH VIDEO
