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 locks!
Hello folks! It's been a while? What? Ten days? I needed that break from the internet world. I've been busy concentrating on my real life, and family and Christmas and all sorts of other good things. And now I'm back, all refreshed and feeling like a go-getter. Which means I am back with a ton of fantastic ideas to share with you. One of them and top of the list is this Indian Makhani Gravy or Curry. Which I've made by the jarful, so that I can eat some today and store some for tomorrow, or next week, or next month. Because it's amazing and freezer friendly.
On our way back from Mangalore, we stopped at our customary lunch haunt in Sakleshpur where we usually stuff ourselves with fried fish and chicken curry. But our cousin who was travelling back with us was a little under the weather, so we decided to stick to vegetarian fare. And we ended up ordering Paneer Butter Masala. Big mistake. Massive in fact. The hot tandoori rotis were the only saving grace. And the Chicken Fried Rice that Denver ordered. Which I ended up stealing most of.
I realised then, how important a good gravy or curry base is. Especially with Indian food. And they are usually so easy to make. They just need the right ingredients and some proportions. We usually do andaaz but I realize how that doesn't work for a food blog.
Which is why I'm giving you a phenomenally easy recipe to make. 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.
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!
Try Our Other Indian Gravy Recipes:
The below recipe makes gravy for 8 - 10 servings. I usually end up taking out one third of the gravy for immediate use, and freeze the rest in freezer friendly ziplocks. Make sure you use good quality ziplocks or freezer friendly containers to avoid spoilage or health hazards. You can easily halve or double the recipe.
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 ½ Kg , coarsely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ 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 ½ 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.
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.