Flavorful No Onion No Garlic Meal

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I had prepared this meal ( Mint Pulav, Paneer Makhani and Palak Raitha ) for my mom who visited me this weekend.

According to ayurveda our ancient traditional medicine system of India there are three formats of food rajasik, tamasik and saatvik, foods simple and wholesome in nature are saatvik by nature, onion and garlic have sharp flavors and they fall under the "tamasik" category.

The theory is based on the fact that "tamasik" food tends to excite the negative feelings such a anger, violence, and deceit and therefore should be avoided. It is a hindu custom to have saatvik food on sacred days. Also practised by the wonderful krishna conscious devotees ( ISKCON photogallery ) around the world. So here is the recipe for the complete meal.

Paneer Makhani (Adopted from Nita Mehta Recipe)

Ingredients

• 200 gms paneer (cut into cubes)
• 3 large tomatoes
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 4-5 almonds or cashew
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 green cardamoms crushed
• 3 tbsp cream
• salt to taste

Soak the almonds or cashew in 1/4 cup milk for a 1/2 hr and blend it a smooth paste.

Microwave tomato and ginger with a 1/2 cup water for 5 min.Blend it to a smooth paste.

Heat oil and butter in a pan, add salt,sugar,garam masala,crushed cardamom and chilli powder and stir for 30 seconds and add the prepared tomato paste and ketchup and mix well and cook till oil begins to separate.

Add the cashew paste and kasuri methi and stir well, add 1/2 cup water and cook on medium flame for 5 min.

Now add paneer and milk to get a nice gravy. Mix well and cook for another 5 min

Now add cream and serve hot.

Mint Pulav

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Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 tbsp clarified butter or ghee
• 1 handfull of mint leaves
• 1 handfull of coriander leaves
• 1/2 green peas
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick broken into pieces
• 2 crushed cardamoms
• 4 black pepper
• 1/4 tsp pepper powder
• 1 tsp chopped green chillies
• salt to taste

Soak rice in water for 30 min and stain it and keep it aside.

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick , cardamom and black pepper and fry till cummin seeds splutter. Add the chopped cilantro, mint leaves and green chilli fry for a min. Then add green peas,salt and pepper powder and stir for 30 seconds. Now add the soaked rice and mix nicely.

Add 1.5 cup water, stir nicely and close the pressure cooker. Let it cook for three whistles and switch off and let it cool.

Once the pressure cooker cools , open the lid add 1 tbsp ghee on top of it and mix carefully and serve hot with your choice of side dish and raitha.

Palak Raitha

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Ingredients

• 1 cup curd
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 green chilli
• salt to taste

For tempering

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp oil
• a pinch of hing (asafetida)

In a micowave safe bowl cook the spinach with some sprinkling of water for 2 min, when it cools blend it with the green chilli, then add curd and salt to this mixture and whisk nicely till it becomes really smooth.

Now prepare the tempering , heat oil in a tempering pan, add cummin seeds and asafetida , once cumin seeds splutter transfer this tempering on to the above curd raitha.

Your palak raitha is ready. Serve it with chappati and any other choice of your rice.

I am sending this recipe to two wonderful events :

Bookmarked recipe hosted by Priya and Aipi and to another wonderful event Hearth and Soul