Punjabi Gravy

Source: This recipe is a slight modification of Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe (from Khana Khajana).
Couple of special things about this recipe.. there is no onions necessary for this gravy!
Also, the base of the gravy is not cream, it is hung yogurt (chakka) - what we use for making shrikhand. This makes it lighter and give it a slight sour taste..
Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:

• Tomato puree 1.5 cup
• hung yogurt (chakka) 1 cup
• khada garam masala for tadka - 3-4 lavang, 2-3 kale mire, 1 inch dalcheeni, 1 tamal patra (bay leaf), 2-3 veldoda (cardamom)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  
• 1/2 inch ginger finely chopped
• 1 spoon kasoori methi leaves - a must for the authentic flavour
  
• 1.5 very finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 green pepper very finely chopped
  
• 4-5 spoons of heavy cream (control the amount as you like)
• 3/4 spoon full turmeric powder
• salt, chilly power to taste
• 1 spoon garam masala powder

Recipe:
half cook the finely chopped carrots and green pepper, remove all water and keep aside.
Heat 3-4 spoons of oil in a pan for tadka
Add a little bit of jeera (cumin seeds) to test the oil temp
lower the heat..
In the heated oil add all the khada garam masala and cover for a few seconds
turn the heat up to medium level
when the ingredients start to crackle add ginger, garlic, turmeric powder and the half cooked carrots and peppers.
Fry for about 2 minutes
Add chakka (hung yogurt) and continue to fry until the oil starts separating from yogurt.
The mixture has a shiny yellow color at this point. It takes around 5 minutes on low-medium heat to reach this stage.
Now add tomato puree - I used half home made and half ready made puree.
and continue to fry for another 5 minutes or so..
turn the heat to low..
add salt and chilly powder to taste and add garam masala powder - mix well.
Add kasoori methi leaves and mix well
Add water as necessary to form a nice and thick gravy..
cover for about a minute
Add cream, mix, cover for about 2 minutes..

The gravy is ready.. you can add paneer and matar to it.. or marinated cooked chicken to have butter chicken type of taste..

For hung yogurt.. it is obvious but I will write it anyway.. take a cotton cloth (fadka/puncha) put 2 cups of yogurt in it and hang it for a few hours (3-4)