Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye – a creamy, and comforting Bengali vegetarian paneer curry cooked with cauliflower chunks, potato chunks, green peas, milk, and a few selected spices. This is a Bengali no-onion no garlic recipe.
At the heart of this sumptuous dish lies paneer, gently simmered in a luscious, velvety sauce made with milk. Alongside the paneer, the dish features the humble yet beloved potato, or 'aloo', The addition of vibrant cauliflower florets, or 'phulkopi', and sweet, tender green peas, or 'motorshuti', not only enhances the visual appeal of the dish but also contributes layers of complementary flavors and textures.
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- Watch how to make Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye
- Dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye - why a perfect Bengali Bhog- special recipe?
- Step-by-step Recipe - Bengali no-onion no-garlic Paneer
- How to make this recipe
- Bhoger Niramish Paneer Phulkopi Aloo Motorshuti diye | Bengali No Onion No Garlic Paneer Recipe
- Top Tip
- Frequently Asked Questions - Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye
- Related Recipes
- Pairing Bengali Dudh Paneer
- Bengali Recipes perfect for Pujor Bhog Cooking from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Have you tried the Bengali Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Here's the Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye Recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board!
Watch how to make Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye
Dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye - why a perfect Bengali Bhog- special recipe?
Hello Dear Readers,
You must be wondering why I have specifically referred to this dish as a “Bhog” recipe. Well, I have seen this dish Bhoger Dudh Paneer Aloo, Phulkopi, motorshuti diye being cooked at least one day during Durga puja at my ancestral home. At times as part of the Kojagori Laxmi pujor bhog or Kali Pujor Niramish meal. So, for me, this dish is a doable and delectable curry ideal for cooking as part of pujor bhog.
The recipe is rather simple and a no-onion no-garlic paneer recipe. The gravy is subtle and flavourful. This is not an elaborate paneer recipe, but a simple Bengali-style paneer curry cooked with seasonal and all-weather vegetables along with the paneer chunks. There is nothing special or complex about this simple paneer recipe however what makes it writing worthy is the simplicity. And why not? My blog, Debjanir Rannaghar after all is about simple and doable recipes mostly. Is it not?
In a way, this is a beginner-level basic paneer recipe to try. I have seen Maa making this quite regularly for the days meant for vegetarian food or as part of pujor bhog even. Then there were days maa would pack a small box with tinkona porota and this simple paneer curry for my lunch box for college or university. Not school though. Mine was a morning school so the tiffin boxes were mostly light.
Okay. Enough said. Now it is time for you to read this paneer recipe. Do not forget to let me know if you try the recipe!
Love,
Debjani
Step-by-step Recipe - Bengali no-onion no-garlic Paneer
- Process Paneer
To make this recipe, I cut paneer into cubes and then soak those in salt water for 15 minutes. This helps to keep the paneer soft.
- Potatoes - how to cut for Bengali Paneer Curry
This recipe calls for small potato cubes. Do not forget to soak potatoes in water to avoid blackening.
- Cutting Cauliflower
I prefer to use medium size cauliflower florets for this recipe.
- Frying Potatoes
Heat vegetable oil, sprinkle some turmeric powder and salt and then fry potatoes till those are golden brown.
- Frying Cauliflower
Fry cauliflower in the remaining oil. Here is a tip for you. Fry cauliflower after potatoes, this way the pan will be seasoned and the gobi will not soak much oil while frying.
- Fry Paneer
Next, you need to fry the paneer. lightly fry those. Check the recipe card or video for further details for this part.
- Tempering
Temper the remaining oil with whole spices - red chili, cinnamon stick bay leaf. I have added some more oil at this step which is optional.
- Asafoetida aka Hing is a must for this recipe
Instead of adding Hing directly to the pan, mix it with 2-3 tablespoons of water and add it.
- Tomato
Cook the spices and then add chopped tomatoes and cook till those soften.
- Spices
Now add the spice powders - turmeric, salt, sugar, and cumin powder and cook till the mixture releases oil.
- Ginger paste to make the gravy flavorful
Since this is a no-onion no-garlic paneer recipe, ginger works wonders. Add ginger paste and then cook till the mixture releases further oil.
- Green Peas
Now add green peas and cook for a while. Though I used frozen peas, you can for sure substitute it with fresh green peas.
- Potatoes
Add fried potatoes and cook for a while and then cook further with little water.
- Cashew Nut paste and Poppy seed paste
Add Cashew nut paste and Poppy seed paste for flavor and richness and cook for a while.
- Cook fried cauliflower as well
After adding cauliflower cook for a while. Do not over-cook at this stage.
- Milk is a must
Now add milk to make the gravy even more flavorful. I have added a few green chilies at this stage.
- Paneer
Now add paneer and cook for a while.
- To complete the curry
To complete the curry add Bengali Garam Masala and Ghee. Check the recipe card below for a detailed recipe.
How to make this recipe
Bhoger Niramish Paneer Phulkopi Aloo Motorshuti diye | Bengali No Onion No Garlic Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g Paneer
- 1 Cauliflower small
- 3 Potatoes cut into small cubes
- 3 Tomatoes small - roughly chopped
- 100 g Green peas
- 3 Green chilies sliced
- 2 Tbsp. Ginger paste
- 1 Tbsp. Cashew nut paste kaju bata
- 1 Tbsp. Poppyseed paste posto bata
- 150 ml Milk
- 1 Tbsp. Ghee
- 5 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
Tempering
- 2 Dry red chili
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 Bay leaf
Spices
- ½ Tsp. Asafoetida Hing
- ½ Tsp. Salt
- ½ Tsp. Turmeric powder
- ½ Tsp. Red chili powder
- 1 Tsp. Cumin powder
- 1 Tsp. Sugar
- 1 Tsp. Bengali garam masala powder
Instructions
Paneer Prep
- Take hot water in a bowl and mix it with ½ teaspoon salt.
- Now cut 200g Cream Paneer (Malai Paneer) into small cubes.
- Soak the paneer cubes in the salt water for 15 minutes before cooking. 1 Cauliflower (small) - cut into small florets
Vegetables Prep
- Cut 3 Potatoes into small cubes.
- Cut Cauliflower into small florets.
- roughly chop 3 Tomatoes.
Cooking the Bengali Paneer Curry without Onion and Garlic
- Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a Kadhai.
- Add ¼ teaspoon each of Turmeric Powder and Salt to the oil and mix.
- Now add potato cubes and fry on medium flame till the potatoes turn golden brown. It will take around 3-4 minutes to fry the potatoes.
- Strain fried potatoes from the pan.
- Now add cauliflower and fry on medium flame till they turn golden brown. It will take around 3-4 minutes to fry the cauliflower.
- Strain fried cauliflower from the pan.
- In the remaining oil fry paneer in two batches.
- It will take 1 minute to fry per batch of paneer lightly.
- In the remaining oil add whole spices - dry red chili, cinnamon stick, bay leaf as tempering.
- Mix and cook the whole spices for a minute.
- Now add another 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Mix ½ teaspoon asafoetida aka thing with 3 tablespoons of water and add it to the kadhai.
- Add 4-5 tablespoons of water and bring it to a boil.
- Cook for a minute.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the tomatoes soften.
- At this point add spice powders - ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder one by one.
- Now cook on low flame for 1.5 minutes.
- Add 1.5 tablespoons ginger paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Now add 100g green peas and cook for 1 minute.
- While cooking add 2 tablespoons water to avoid burning.
- Now add fried potatoes and mix.
- Cook for 3 minutes.
- Now add ½ cup water and mix.
- Wash the bowls used to keep cashew nut and poppyseed paste with 2-3 tablespoons of water and add that water to the pan.
- Cook for 1 minute.
- Now add fried cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add 150ml milk and cook for 2 minutes.
- Now add fried paneer and give a light mix and cook for 1 minute.
- Add 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder and 1 tablespoon ghee Cook for 1 minute.
- No onion no garlic Bengali Paneer curry with cauliflower, potatoes and green peas cooked with milk is now ready to serve.
Serving Doodh Paneer
- Serve doodh paneer with your choice of carb such as luchi, paratha, roti, rice po pulao.
Video
Notes
Substitutions
- I use Malai Paneer or cream paneer in this recipe. However, you can substitute it with low-calorie paneer or even tofu.
- To make this recipe lactose-fee use tofu and substitute milk with almond milk. And yes, skip ghee.
- If you are allergic to Cashew nuts or poppy seeds substitute these with another nut such as Almonds.
Variations
- Spicy - increase chili to increase the spiciness. However, this recipe goes well when cooked subtly.
- Deluxe - As we have already used Malai Paneer, Cashew nut Poppy seed, and also Ghee, I do not think more deluxe ingredients are needed.
- Kid-friendly - Go light on the spices? Maybe?
Nutrition
Top Tip
Cauliflower soaks a lot of oil while frying. To avoid this, season the pan with a little turmeric powder and salt, and then fry the potatoes. Once done, then fry the cauliflower. This way, they will soak less oil.
Frequently Asked Questions - Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye
There is no hard and fast rule as such. For special occasions, I prefer to use malai paneer for the added flavor. Else normal paneer block works just fine.
If you soak paneer for a while in salt water, it turns soft while cooking so you do not get rubbery paneer.
Paneer is a milk product and a good source of protein. If you are a vegetarian and not lactose-intolerant, paneer for sure is good for your health.
Paneer helps in increasing body heat as it is calcium-rich.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing Bengali Dudh Paneer
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Paneer curry cooked with potatoes, cauliflower, and green peas:
Bengali Recipes perfect for Pujor Bhog Cooking from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Phulkopir Rosha | Bengali Gobi Rassa
- Sada Aloor Dum (also known as White Dum Aloo Bengali style)
- Bengali Niramish Khichuri (also known as Bhoger Khichuri or Bengali Khichuri)
- Niramish Bhuni Khichuri (also known as Bengali Bhuni Khichuri)
- Bandhakopir Torkari (also known as Badhakopir Ghonto | Bengali Cabbage Sabzi)
- Bengali Labra Tarkari Recipe
- Chanar Dalna (also known as Bengali Cottage Cheese and Potato Curry)
- Aloo Phulkopir Dalna | Phulkopi Aloor Dalna
- Tomato Amsotto Khejur er Chutney
- Chaler Payesh aka Bengali Rice Kheer
Have you tried the Bengali Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Please inform me of your experience and feel free to send a photo to dolonchttrj@gmail.com. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Here's the Bhoger dudh paneer aloo, phulkopi, motorshuti diye Recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board!
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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