Learn how to make Indian Makhani Gravy (Curry) for when you're responsible to cook meals but don't have the time to go through every step, every day! This recipe is really easy and the gravy is freezer friendly, so it can be stored for later use. Freeze it in jars or zip lock bags!
If you know me, you know how much I love meal prep to make my weeknight dinner game even easier and more hassle-free. There's no better feeling than finishing work and not having to stress about what to make for dinner, because you have a fridge and freezer prepped with some quick and easy meals. And This Indian Makhani Gravy is hands down, my favorite thing to have in the fridge.
If you are a busy bee and never have time to cook (like most of us), make a large quantity and just freeze them in small jars or freezer friendly zip locks. It's perfect for all sorts of deliciousness: paneer makhani, murgh (chicken) makhani, paneer butter masala, chicken butter masala, veg makhani or even egg makhani if you are into that kind of thing. This basically works for everything except dal makhani.
Quick Walk Through: Indian Makhani Gravy
Top Tips To Make The Best Makhani Gravy
- This recipe makes gravy for 8 - 10 servings. But you can easily double or halve the ingredients depending on your requirement.
- Make sure you use good quality ziplocks or freezer friendly containers to avoid spoilage or health hazards.
- If you don't have cashews, you can easily replace them with soaked almonds for similar results.
- You can easily make this curry vegan by replacing butter with oil and fresh cream with coconut milk.
FAQs
Makhani gravy is a made with a base of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and a mix of whole and ground spices. Ingredients like cashews, poppy seeds, and cream are used to give it that typical creamy luscious finish.
Most restaurants have gravies which are deep red in color. People, if you still haven't figured it out, that's just food coloring. Which we will steer clear of, except when we are making our Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies. That's why this gravy is restaurant style, but orange instead of the crazy red that we are all used to seeing.
I know you are tempted. Trust me you'll never make makhani any other way!
How To Make Indian Makhani Gravy (Curry)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 1 Green Chili
- 4 Kashmiri Red Chilies
- 2 tablespoons Ginger Paste
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste
- 2 Bayleaves
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 5 - 6 Cloves
- 2 Cardamoms
- 1 teaspoon Peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons Cashewnuts chopped
- 1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds Khus Khus
- 14 Tomatoes large (1 ยฝ Kg , coarsely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 3 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Sugar or Jaggery (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons Kasuri Methi Dry
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Cream
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pan or kadhai, heat a tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons oil.
- Add green chili, red chillies, ginger, garlic paste and whole spices. Saute for a minute or two and add cashew nuts, poppy seeds and tomatoes. Mix well. Cover and cook this for ten to fifteen minutes till the tomatoes start breaking down. Switch off the flame and set aside to cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, fish out as many whole spices as possible, and grind the mixture to a smooth paste.
- In the same pan or kadhai, heat the remaining butter and add the ground paste from step #3. Add garam masala powder, chili powder, turmeric, ketchup, salt and sugar or jaggery (if using) along with ยฝ cup water. Bring this to a boil.
- Once the curry comes to a boil, simmer and cook for 30 minutes, till the oil separates slightly. In another pan, dry roast the kasuri methi and grind it to a fine powder. Mix kasuri methi and fresh cream in the curry and switch off the flame.
- Let the curry cool completely before dividing it into smaller portions and freezing it in ziplock packs.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Substitute fresh tomatoes with three 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes. Or use 4 cups Tomato Puree or Tomato Passata
- Garam Masala: I use homemade garam masala, but you can substitute it with any store bought garam masala. Please note that garam masala is different from curry powder
- Butter: I love adding butter to this dish, but you can substitute it with ghee
- Sweetness from Ketchup: I think a really mild sweetness in butter chicken is actually nice and it balances the sourness from tomatoes. But feel free to reduce or increase the amount of ketchup based on what you like.
Mags says
I canโt wait to try this recipe. Thank you.
neeraj says
good
Owen Michelson says
I have a question about the quantity of tomatoes. In the recipe it calls for 14 large tomatoes, which looks like a lot of tomatoes. Later in your recipe, you say you can substitute a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes. I looks to me that 14 large tomatoes would be quite a bit more than one 15 ounce can of tomatoes. Can you clarify this for me? Tanks in advance for the help!
Richa says
Hey Owen, thats my mistake. I meant three 15 oz cans. I've fixed that in the recipe.