No Onion No Garlic Recipes For Diwali
The festive season is here! If you’re planning a menu for Diwali or any other seasonal gathering, I have a wonderful menu of no onion no garlic recipes for you. The menu uses one base sauce, so you can cook a whole meal in a lot less time. Dal makhani, Tofu Tikka Masala, peanut potatoes, Turmeric cashew rice
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
Ingredients
For the for Dal Makhani
- 1 cup dried black urad or black matpe beans, or whole urad, soaked overnight
- 1/4 cup dried kidney beans soaked overnight
- 1 black cardamom pod slightly opened
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
For the Base Sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 hot green chili such as serrano or Indian minced
- 1.5 tablespoon ginger paste or finely minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/8 teaspoon hing ( Asafoetida)
- 3 heaping cups sliced zucchini sliced into half-moon shapes
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 4 ounces canned tomato puree
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomato
- 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
To Add to the Dal Later
- 1/2 of the sauce from above
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 to 4 ounces canned tomato puree
- 1/3 cup cashew cream (1/2 cup of cashews blended with 1 cup of water until smooth. You’ll use some of this mixture here, and some in the tikka masala sauce below and also some for garnish)
For the Tofu Tikka Masala
- 14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes, then torn into bite-sized, 3/4” inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala blend
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
For The Tikka Masala Sauce
- 1/2 of the base sauce from above
- 1/2 cup sliced bell pepper green and red mixed
- 1/2 cup cashew cream
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce or cayenne as needed
- 2 ounces canned tomato puree
For the Peanut Sesame Potatoes
- 3 medium potatoes about 4 cups, cut into into 3/4” cubes
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
For the Peanut Sesame Masala
- 2 tablespoons peanuts
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 ” ginger
- 1 hot green chili
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
For the Turmeric Cashew Rice
- 3 tablespoons cashews raw or roasted
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 1/2 cups of white basmati rice rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 cups of water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).
Pressure cook your dal.
- Add the soaked and drained black urad dal and kidney beans to an Instant Pot. Add the rest of the dal makhani ingredients, and mix well.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on bean mode(preferred) or pressure cook mode for 1 hour, and let the pressure release naturally.
Make the base sauce.
- Heat the 2 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them cook until they change color significantly and also smell very fragrant. They should get pretty dark in color.
- Add in the bay leaves, and mix in for a few seconds, add in the green chili and ginger and mix for a few more seconds, then mix in all of the ground spices for a few seconds. The pan is going to be hot, so you want to be careful. Mix really quickly.
- Add in the zucchini and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix well, adding splashes of water to help the spices get onto the zucchini. Continue to cook until the zucchini is golden and cooked down. This will take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes. After the first 4 or 5 minutes, cover the pan with a lid to help the zucchini cook faster, and then continue to cook until the zucchini is cooked and roasted.
- Mix in the tomato puree, chopped tomato, and yogurt. Press and mix to break some of those tomatoes down, and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes to break down some of the chopped tomatoes.
- Once the mixture is boiling consistently and some of tomatoes the are tender, switch off the heat, remove half of the sauce, and set that aside. Remove another heaping tablespoon of the sauce to add to the potatoes and that set aside, as well.
- To the remaining sauce in the pan, add the bell pepper, the 2 ounces tomato puree and the 1/2 cup cashew cream. Mix well and bring to a boil, then switch off the heat.
Make the baked tofu tikka
- In a small bowl, add the tofu and non-dairy yogurt, and toss well to coat. (Also add a teaspoon mustard oil for added flavor) optional
- Mix together all the dried spices in a small bowl and sprinkle those all over the tofu, tossing well to coat.
- Spread this tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet. Keep each piece half an inch away from each other, and then bake for 25 to 30 minutes. I usually bake the tofu before starting to make the sauce, so that while I'm cooking the sauce for the baked tofu tikka gets ready.
- Once the tofu is baked, fold half of it into the sauce gently. (If the sauce is too thick, add in 1/2 cup or so of water, and bring it to a boil and then fold in the tofu ). Place the rest of the tofu on top of the sauce, don't mix it in. Garnish it with cilantro and finely chopped green chili, and this dish is ready to serve.
Finish making the dal.
- By now, your dal is probably ready. If the pressure has released, open the lid, then add in the sauce you reserved for the dal along with the smoked paprika and 3 to 4 ounces of canned tomato puree and 1/3 cup cashew cream. Mix in, turn on Saute mode, and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Usually I’ll add a little more salt at this point. You can also add a little bit of lemon to break through the flavor. Then, transfer it to a serving bowl, garnish it with some cilantro, and drizzle with some more of the cashew cream, and the dal is ready to serve.
Make the potatoes.
- Put the potatoes in a large skillet with the water, half the salt, over medium high heat, and cover with the lid. Cook the potatoes until they are tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir once in between, but then let them generally cook undisturbed.
- While the potatoes are cooking, use a mortar and pestle or a food processor, and process or press down all of the peanut sesame masala ingredients, so that the peanuts break down. If you're using a food processor, first add the peanuts and process them to break them down and then add the rest of the ingredients and combine.
- Once the potatoes are done cooking, open the lid, add 1 teaspoon oil(mustard oil if possible or use neutral oil), and add the peanut sesame mix and a tablespoon of the reserved base sauce, tossing well to coat. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the coating is toasted and the potatoes start getting toasted on the edges. 3-4 mins Keep moving them around. You want to use a good non-stick pan here, so that the peanut sesame coating doesn't stick to the pan.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, carefully taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can sprinkle in more salt or some chaat masala to increase the salty flavor of the potatoes.
Make the rice.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the 1/2 teaspoon oil. If using raw cashews, then add the cashews now and cook and toast until they're starting to turn golden. Then remove them from the pan. Once the oil is hot again, add in the mustard seeds and let them start to sputter or start to shake and change color to grayish. Then mix in the washed rice, turmeric, lemon juice, water, and salt. Partially cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and let it cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the water and looks pretty fluffy.
- Switch off the heat, and let the rice sit for a few minutes before opening and fluffing and transferring to a bowl to serve topped with the toasted cashews and some cilantro.
Serve the meal.
- Make the quick raita (see notes), warm your naan or flatbread in a skillet or the microwave or the oven, and brush it with some vegan butter and serve it with chutneys of choice or Indian pickle.
Video
Notes
Raita dip: mix 3/4 cup non dairy yogurt with 2-3 tablespoons water,1/4 teaspoon each of Salt, cumin, cayenne, chaat masala. Garnish with cilantro
Make ahead: I know that this is a long recipe, but remember that we're making 4 dishes at the same time. You can split this whole menu up by making the sauce beforehand. You can also make the dal, the potatoes, and the raita beforehand, and then make just the rice and the baked tofu on the day you want to serve. The rice will have the best, fluffiest texture if you make it day-of, and making the tofu day-of ensures that it’s nice and crisp. Everything else stores and reheats well.
Split it :You also don't have to make the entire menu. You can choose and make just a few of the elements of this menu. Just reduce the base sauce and continue as you like.
This is obviously a no onion, no garlic menu. If you want to add onion and garlic, just use onion instead of the zucchini.
Other lentils: use canned or precooked lentils, and follow the steps of adding the sauces and cashew cream.
For cooking the lentils or other beans like mung beans, pressure cook 16 minutes for brown lentils and 22 minutes for green mung beans For gluten-free make my gluten-free naan or use Glutenfree flatbread
For soy-free use a soy-free tofu like chickpea flour tofu or store bought pumpkin seed tofu.
For Nut-free, use full fat coconut milk instead of cashew cream, or other non dairy cream. If it doesn’t thicken well enough then fold in 1-2 tbsp non dairy yogurt to help. Use sunflower seeds instead of peanuts in the potatoes
For cooking the lentils or other beans like mung beans, pressure cook 16 minutes for brown lentils and 22 minutes for green mung beans For gluten-free make my gluten-free naan or use Glutenfree flatbread
For soy-free use a soy-free tofu like chickpea flour tofu or store bought pumpkin seed tofu.
For Nut-free, use full fat coconut milk instead of cashew cream, or other non dairy cream. If it doesn’t thicken well enough then fold in 1-2 tbsp non dairy yogurt to help. Use sunflower seeds instead of peanuts in the potatoes
Nutrition
Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 680mg | Potassium: 643mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1273IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 7mg