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> If you love vegetables and shahi paneer, then this is the best entree in main course which has all the royal flavors of fine dining ; a combination of sweet,sour , salty esssence which I bet will be unforgettable. >

> > Though my daughter calls it shahi paneer, but yes it has more or less the same kind of ingredients required for shahi paneer. The dry fruits, saffron, cream, cashew paste etc will fill your house with a nice aroma.So make this for any special occasion or please your guests with this dish which could be served with roti, paratha, jeera rice etc. It is called Navrattan because it contains 9 different veggies and nuts which are combined in a unique way to add zayka in your life. Just like Akbar had his nine jewels in his court, these nine authentic flavors would surely crave you for more. 😉

INGREDIENTS:
For Dry Spices (masala) :
1. Whole Green Cardamom (Chhoti elaichi)- 6
2. Black Cardamom (Badi elaichi)- 1
3. Cinnamon stick ( Dalcheeni) – ¹⁄₂
4. Bay leaves(Tej patta) – 2
5. Cloves (laung/long) – 5
6. Mace (Javitri)powder – a pinch

For vegetables:
1. Medium size onion (thinly sliced) – 1
2. Potato ( sliced ) – 1
3. Carrots ( sliced) – 2
4. Cauliflower (gobhi) (florets)- ¹⁄₂ cup
5. Peas (matar) – ¹⁄₄ cup
6. Corn or baby corn – ¹⁄₄ cup
7. Capsicum (shimla mirch) chopped – ¹⁄₄ cup
8. Ginger (adrak) grated – ¹⁄₂ inch
9. Chilly (hari mirch)finely chopped- 1
You may add green beans ,pineapple too cut in ¹⁄₂ inch pieces or slices depending on availability. You may add ¹⁄₂ cup paneer cubes too.
For curry :
1. Yoghurt/curd (dahi )- ¹⁄₂ cup
2. Heavy Whipping Cream – 4 tbsp
3. Cashew paste(cashews,melon seeds,poppy seeds,almonds) – ¹⁄₂ cup
4. Tomato puree – ¹⁄₄ cup (optional)
5. Clarified Butter (ghee)– 2 tbsp
6. Salt according to your taste – 2 tsps
7. Red chilli powder(kashmiri lal mirch)- 1 tsp
8. Turneric (haldi) – ¹⁄₂ tsp

For Garnishing:
1. Cashews whole(kaju) – 10 to 12
2. Raisins (kishmish) – 10
3. Almonds blanched ( badam)- 10
4. Pistachios blanched (pista)- 10
5. Walnut (akhrot) – 5
6. Cilantro (Dhaniya) finely chopped – ¹⁄₄ cup
You may decrease the quantity of nuts as per your taste and availability.

METHOD:
|Preparation time : 35 -40 mins | Cooking time : 15 mins | Serves 5-6 persons at a time |
Preparing the cashew paste :
1. For this lets soak ¹⁄₄ cup each of poppy seeds(khus -khus) and Melon seeds (char magaz) in warm water for 30 mins. This step is crucial if you are using poppy seeds and magaz or else these will not grind properly and blend with the gravy.

1. If you are taking whole almonds(¹⁄₄ cup), then add them to 1 cup boiling water for 30 seconds first. Then wash them in cold water and peel off their skin.This process is called blanching.However, I have used Almond powder, or you may use sliced almonds too.

2. Now add ¹⁄₄ cup cashews, poppy seeds,magaz,almond powder all together in a gringer/mixer/food processor. Also add ¹⁄₂ cup of water and grind them till you get a smooth paste.
   Instead of using the above 4 ingredients , you may use only cashews and walnuts too in 3:1 ratio to make the above paste. But if you use the above ingredients, then you will not only add taste but health too in your dish.

3. Now wash,peel and cut the vegetables as you wish. I engraved my potatoes and carrots to give a nice curvy look on the edges.Slice the onions,grate the ginger and puree the tomatoes too.

4. Heat ghee in a wok(kadhai) or a pan (which has lid).
   

5. Add the whole spices and stir them on medium heat. Let them crackle.
   

6. Now add the onions,ginger and green chillies. Stir them till they turn brown.
   

7. Lower the heat and add turmeric,salt, red chilli powder and stir them such that they don’t get burnt.
   

8. Immediately add the curd, cashew paste,the veggies and stir all the ingredients so that they are mixed well. Stir until you see one nice yellow color of cream all over your veggies.
   

9. Cover them and cook for 12-15 mins on medium to low heat. Sitr in between 2 times to avoid the bottom getting burnt. Also add the tomato puree while cooking and stir it.
   Nearly after 10 mins add the puree.
   

10. In the meanwhile, soak the cashews,raisins, walnuts,blanched almonds and blanched pistachios in warm water for 15 mins. For blanching almonds and pistachios follow the same process as you follow while making paste(see above under preparing kaju paste).Blanching not only softens them but also enhance their color.Its upto you however.This is for garnishing the sabzi.

11. Once you see the vegetables are cooked ,add the whipping cream to it. Cook for a minute and then turn off the heat. Don’t cook too much after adding the cream ,else it may turn bitter sometimes.
    

12. Now garnish it with nuts and cilantro and some fresh drizzle of cream or a mint leaf. Enjoy and serve hot.

Please share your experiences here.. we truly value your suggestions!!
🙂