Amazing Niramish Paneer – a creamy and flavourful Paneer Curry that is my version of the classic Bengali Niramish curries. It is rich, delicious and cooked without onion-garlic.
When you want something so delicious but without strong onion-garlic flavours, I dream up having this Niramish Paneer to pair with Poori ( deep fried Indian flatbread ) or hot roti and Bengali cholar dal . This easy to prepare and finger licking curry is perfect for a family lunch, dinner or party.
Want to see more no onion garlic recipes? I have some right here for you
Apple Saffron Chutney Veg Paneer Makkhanwala Gujarati Black Chick Pea Curry
MEANING OF NIRAMISH
I only knew that Niramish word belongs to the Bengali language, but until I searched on Google for its meaning, I had no clue. According to Google, the meaning of Niramish means without meat, fish or eggs. Basically, a recipe prepared with vegetables and milk products is called ‘NIRAMISH’.
NIRAMISH PANEER
If you translate these two words and describe it to someone, it would be like this,
Niramish means vegetarian Paneer is Indian Cottage Cheese
In this curry marinated paneer is gently simmered in a creamy and mildly spiced cashew gravy. Now one of our favourite, a curry that is just more than a side dish for your mains.
PANEER
Paneer is a fresh, mild and milky Indian cheese that is unsalted, white in colour and prepared with cow or buffalo milk, thus it is not suitable for vegans. It doesn’t require ageing or culturing and so easy to prepare at home under an hour. Paneer which works so well within aromatic-style Indian dishes. From vegetarian curries and stuffed flatbreads to spiced skewers, Paneer is versatile thus it is used in making drool-worthy Indian desserts too such as Mango Paneer Kheer .
INGREDIENTS
Along with paneer, cashew and white poppy seeds, we will need a few whole spices such as bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom which lend delicious flavours to this curry. You don’t miss onion and garlic at all! Also fresh spices and vegetables including ginger, green chillies, tomato and basic Indian spice powders. Green peas are optional here- if don’t have at home then nothing to worry about.
VEGAN NIRAMISH CURRY
HOW TO MAKE NIRAMISH PANEER
First, soak cashew and poppy seeds ( Khus Khus ) in warm water for 15-20 minutes. In a bowl place paneer, add salt, red chilli powder, pinch turmeric powder and little oil, mix and leave it to marinate for 10 minutes. In a grinder add soaked cashews, poppy seeds, and tomato and make a fine paste. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or kadai, and fry the marinated paneer pieces until they turn light brown. Remove it and leave it aside. In the same oil a teaspoon of sugar and mix well then add whole spices.
Once they crackle add cashew puree, add crushed ginger and green chillies, lower the heat and fry the paste for good five minutes or until oil is leaving the pan edges. Add turmeric, red chilli and ground coriander and cumin. Mix everything and cook the mixture further 3-4 minutes. Add green peas if using ( I have used frozen ). Mix and add some water, let the mixture boil for a couple of minutes. Add fried paneer pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garam masala powder, fennel powder and kasuri methi. Let the curry cook another minute or so then turn off the heat.
Niramish Paneer
Ingredients
- 500 gram Paneer Indian Cottage Cheese-
- 150 gram cashew nuts
- 50 gram white poppy seeds khus khus
- 1 tablespoon Whole spices bay leaf, cinnamon, clove, green cardamom
- 3 large green chillies crushed
- 1 inch ginger crushed
- 2 medium tomato cut
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin and coriander
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon green peas Optional
- salt to taste
- pinch fennel powder variyali powder
- 1 teaspoon kasoori methi
- 4 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- First, soak cashew and poppy seeds ( Khus Khus ) in warm water for 15-20 minutes.
- In a bowl place paneer, add salt, red chilli powder, pinch turmeric powder and 1TBSP oil, mix and leave it to marinate.
- In a grinder add soaked cashews, poppy seeds, and tomato and make a fine paste.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or kadai, and fry the marinated paneer pieces until they turn light brown.
- Remove it and leave it aside. In the same oil a teaspoon of sugar and mix well then add whole spices.
- Once they crackle add cashew puree, add crushed ginger and green chillies, lower the heat and fry the paste for good five minutes or until oil is leaving the pan edges.
- Add turmeric, red chilli and ground coriander and cumin.
- Mix everything and cook the mixture further 3-4 minutes.
- Add green peas if using ( I used frozen ).
- Mix and add some water, let the mixture boil for a couple of minutes.
- Add fried paneer pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add garam masala powder, fennel powder and kasuri methi.
- Let the curry cook another minute or so then turn off the heat.
- Serve hot with poori, paratha or roti.
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Niramish Paneer
Ingredients
- 500 gram Paneer Indian Cottage Cheese-
- 150 gram cashew nuts
- 50 gram white poppy seeds khus khus
- 1 tablespoon Whole spices bay leaf, cinnamon, clove, green cardamom
- 3 large green chillies crushed
- 1 inch ginger crushed
- 2 medium tomato cut
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin and coriander
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon green peas Optional
- salt to taste
- pinch fennel powder variyali powder
- 1 teaspoon kasoori methi
- 4 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- First, soak cashew and poppy seeds ( Khus Khus ) in warm water for 15-20 minutes.
- In a bowl place paneer, add salt, red chilli powder, pinch turmeric powder and 1TBSP oil, mix and leave it to marinate.
- In a grinder add soaked cashews, poppy seeds, and tomato and make a fine paste.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or kadai, and fry the marinated paneer pieces until they turn light brown.
- Remove it and leave it aside. In the same oil a teaspoon of sugar and mix well then add whole spices.
- Once they crackle add cashew puree, add crushed ginger and green chillies, lower the heat and fry the paste for good five minutes or until oil is leaving the pan edges.
- Add turmeric, red chilli and ground coriander and cumin.
- Mix everything and cook the mixture further 3-4 minutes.
- Add green peas if using ( I used frozen ).
- Mix and add some water, let the mixture boil for a couple of minutes.
- Add fried paneer pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add garam masala powder, fennel powder and kasuri methi.
- Let the curry cook another minute or so then turn off the heat.
- Serve hot with poori, paratha or roti.
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
This easy Broccoli and pear soup is thick and creamy and is sweetened with conference pears for a fancy twist. Healthy green soup is packed with a whole head of broccoli, fresh pears and topped with cranberries,walnuts and fresh thyme.
A combination of delicious and vibrant ingredients, a bowl of this Instant Pot Broccoli and Pear Soup is perfect for warming up during chilly winters and is also lavish enough as a starter on your Christmas party menu. Serve with warm Tiger Bread for a filling lunch.
Quick and easy Broccoli Soup
I love soup recipes. They also require so little thought process and, mostly importantly, prep!
There’s no need to weigh out ingredients, just roughly chop, add to your cooker and you’re good to go.
We’ve made an instant pot broccoli soup which cuts down cooking time and also preserves some of the nutrients from the broccoli.
This healthy broccoli soup can easily be prepared in 15 minutes from prep to table.
I can guarantee that this soup is
- Delicious and Nourishing
- Easy and Quick
- On the table under 30 minutes
- Filling and satisfying
- Can be made in advance
- A great meal-prep recipe
During Autumn and winter months, soups are ALWAYS on the menu, whether it’s a Sweet Potato, Mushroom and Goji Berry Soup or a Butternut Squash and Cannellini Beans Soup .
I also love Indian style soups and this Tamatar Ka Shorba or spiced tomato soup is actually addictive!
Creamy Broccoli Soup (with no added cream)
This soup is earthy, creamy and rich in taste, yet hearty and comforting with each spoonful warming your insides.
It is low in calories, suitable for vegetarians and gluten-free.
Many broccoli soups achieve their creaminess either by making a roux or by adding cheese before blending but this one is neither!
Why add Pear to broccoli soup?
The addition of juicy pears provides a natural sweetness to this soup.
The beauty of adding pear to broccoli soup is that it mellows out the flavour of broccoli. If you have children who resist green soups, this one might just convert them!
Ingredients for the healthy broccoli soup with pear
- Broccoli – use fresh broccoli where possible for delicious flavour but frozen will work too.
Love broccoli? Try our Superfood Broccoli Stir-fry
- Pear – buy fresh. We have used conference pears, but this soup will work well with other pear varieties as well!
- White Onion – adds bulk to the soup and also provides a mild sweetness
- Oil – we have used olive oil. You could also use a flavourless oil such as sunflower or vegetable oil
- Vegetable stock or a vegetable stock cube dissolved in hot water. Use low sodium or salt stock cubes if you are watching your salt intake.
Herbs and Spices
This soup doesn’t require many spices as you want to enjoy the original taste of the fresh ingredients.
Once, I had some fresh thyme left over from making Vegan Thyme Oatcakes , so I thought of adding some to the soup. The flavours blended so beautifully with the broccoli and pear.
For spices, you will only need freshly ground black pepper.
Toppings
To garnish this soup, you will need:
- Vegetarian blue cheese which has a rich aroma and a melt-in-mouth texture that lends a creamy and buttery taste to this soup. I would also try using crumbled goats cheese, wensleydale or grated cheddar. You could also add a spoon of mascarpone or ricotta. If you want to lower the fat content of each serving, leave out the cheese. The soup itself is plenty creamy so you won’t be missing out.
- Dried Cranberries are a perfect ingredient to use for a Christmas themed meal. A little tart and sweet, they pair so well with this soup.
- Walnuts adds a bit of crunch to this creamy soup and adds good fat.
How to make Instant Pot Broccoli Soup
The step by step images are for Instant Pot soup but you can find stovetop and other pressure cooker options below in the recipe card.
- Select saute button on the Instant pot penal.
- Add oil and roughly chopped onion, saute for 2-3 minutes or until translucent.
- Now add chopped broccoli, pear, thyme, salt and black pepper.
- Mix and add vegetable stock.
- Close the lid and select High pressure for 1 minutes.
- Release the steam manually.
- Blend using a blender.
Serving suggestions for Broccoli and Pear Soup
As we all know, most vegetable soups are eaten with rustic crusty bread or rolls. I know that I use soup as an excuse to indulge in bread!!
My air fryer bread and Instant Pot Bread are pretty good with soups.
For a low carb diet, top this soup with cooked qunioq, some roasted chickpeas, or mixed nuts and seeds.
Eat alongside some roasted vegetables , air fryer avocado fries or why not try some rye crackers?
This soup is creamy because we are blitzing the vegetables after cooking to make a smooth soup. This way, we are also ensuring that every mouthful of soup is full of flavour. Giving vegetables time to cook and soften prior to blending is important, which is why we use the Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker. Although it isn’t an ingredient in this recipe, adding a small potato adds bulk and silkiness to most soups. The mild flavour of potato means it will not interfere with most vegetable soups.
Yes, you can make vegan broccoli and pear soup which is so creamy! The base of this soup is naturally vegan anyway and it is only the toppings of cheese which make this soup suitable for vegetarians only. You can either totally omit the cheesy topping, or add vegan cheese. You could also add a swirl of plant-based double cream just before serving.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Creamy Broccoli and Pear Soup
Equipment
- Instant pot or electric pressure cooker
- Stick blender
- Knife
Ingredients
For the soup
- 400 grams broccoli or 1 head of broccoli
- 1 large pear roughly chopped
- 1 medium white onion roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil olive oil
- 450 milliliters vegetable stock vegetable stock
- seasoning salt and pepper
For the topping – optional
- 25 grams blue cheese vegetarian, crumbled
- 10 grams cranberries dried
- 50 grams walnuts crumbled
Instructions
- Press saute button for 2-3 minutes on the Instant Pot panel.
- Add oil and onion.
- Saute the onion until translucent.
- Add broccoli, pear, seasoning and stock.
- Close the Instant Pot lid.
- Select High Pressure for 1 minutes.
- Release the steam immediately.
- Blend with a hand blender.
- Serve hot in serving bowls and top with cheese, berries and walnuts.
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This post has been updated from our recipe archives with new content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in Dec 2018.
