Matar Paneer recipe
Matar Paneer ki sabji - is a creamy, delicious and mildly spiced - rich curry made with matar(green peas) and paneer(cottage cheese).
Yield: 4
Calories: 215kcal
Materials
- 250 gms Paneer or Cottage cheese cut in cubes
- 1.5 cup Green peas fresh or frozen,
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp butter optional
- ¼ tsp Haldi/ Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Dhaniya/ Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Lal mirch/ Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- Salt per taste
- 1 cup water or as required
For making paste:
- 1 large Onion sliced or 2 medium onions
- 2 medium Red ripe tomatoes Roughly chopped or sliced
- 2 Green chillies roughly chopped
- 4 - 5 Garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1-inch Ginger roughly chopped
Whole masale:
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Green cardamom pods slightly crushed
- ½ tbsp Kasuri methi
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
Boiling Paneer:
- Heat half a litre of water in a saucepan and add ½ tsp of salt.
- When water starts simmering, add cubes of paneer into the saucepan and let it boil for 10 mins.
- Turn the flame off, and discard the water. Keep the boiled paneer cubes aside.
For making Onion tomato paste:
- In a wide thick bottom pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add slightly crushed cardamom pods, roughly chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute well till the raw smell of garlic goes off.
- Add sliced onions and saute till the onions turn translucent or golden brown in colour.
- When onions are done, add roughly sliced or chopped tomatoes into the pan and saute nicely till it turns soft and mushy.
- When the tomatoes are cooked, add cashew nuts and mix with the onion-tomato mixture.
- Turn the flame off and let the mixture cool down to room temperature.
- Now, transfer the cooked onions and tomatoes into the mixer grinder jar and ground it in a smooth paste.
For making Matar Paneer gravy:
- In the same pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add bay leaf, a tsp full of jeera or cumin seeds in the pan and saute till it splutters.
- Then, lower the flame and add the blended paste of onion and tomato into the pan and mix it nicely.
- Then, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt into the pan and stir it with the whole masale for few seconds.
- Cover and cook till the oil is separated from the mixture and the mixture thickens.
- Remove the lid and add half a cup of water or as required and saute well. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding more water.
- When it starts boiling, add green peas and boiled paneer cubes into the pan and mix it well with the other ingredients.
- After 3 to 4 minutes, add kasuri methi and mix it gently with the gravy without breaking the paneer cubes. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Lastly, add finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and mix all the ingredients nicely and cover and cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the flame.
- Serve hot and creamy matar paneer gravy with garlic naan or jeera rice and accompany it with sliced onions and lemon wedges.
Notes
You can use Tofu instead of paneer, for making it vegan curry.
To make it even richer, you can add whisked yoghurt or fresh cream into the gravy. We call it shahi matar paneer ki sabji.