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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Broccoli Butter Masala ( Navratri Special )

When it comes to 'sattvik' or 'niramish' fare, i.e., cooking without using any onion or garlic, many of us have a mental blockade. "Will it taste good ?" or even "there can be no substitute for fish/chicken/or any other meat of your choice", are some of the common nags that I have come across. But over a period of time I have explored the sattvik fare from various regions of India and most of it has turned out to be delicious. For example, let us take the Monday/Thursday meals cooked in most households in Odisha. Rice, dal with veggies, minimal spices and a ghee tadka, a sweet-sour chutney kind of thing, stir fried veggies and greens (either stir fried or cooked with moong dal). Simple and, nourishing yet delicious enough to qualify for an everyday meal. People who prefer rotis over rice can opt for a simple 'vrat ke alu' or 'kachey kele ki subzi' with rotis or parathas made with Rajgire ka atta.

Having tackled the first question, let us move on to the second one. But what is one supposed to serve if guests drop in ? Well, there are 'no onion no garlic' versions of most curries like the Navratan korma, matar paneer and butter masala (and it is also available on my blog) along with delicious sattvik 'no onion no garlic' biryanis that one can choose from.

The 'Broccoli Butter Masala' is just an addition to this list and the fruit of my efforts to marry Indian cooking with exotic ingredients. Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes
  • 10 cashews
  • 15 raisins
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp fresh cream
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
  • a pinch of garam masala
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 2 tsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • few whole spices ( 1 green cardamom, 2-3 cloves, 1" cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 6-7 peppercorns )


Preparation - Boil sufficient water in a saucepan.Once it gets to a bubbling boil, add the broccoli florets and let it cook for a minute or two.

Remove and immediately dunk in cold water. Drain the water after 5 mins. This helps bring out the gorgeous green hue of the broccoli.

Soak the cashew and raisins in 1/2 cup warm water for 20 mins. Grind into a smooth paste.

Puree the tomatoes.

Make a paste out of the coriander powder, garam masala, red chili power and turmeric along with a little (2-3 tsp) water.

Cooking - Heat the oil and butter in a wok. Add the masala paste and fry for 2 mins.

Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts to separate.

Add the cashew and raisins paste and cook for 3 mins.

Finally add the milk and 1/4 cup water along with the blanched broccoli florets. Sprinkle Kasuri methi on top.

Bring to a boil on low heat and let it simmer for a while till the broccoli turns soft and the gravy coats the florets evenly.

Add the cream. give it a mix and remove from flame.

Serve hot with puris or a simple pulao.










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