Matar Paneer Recipe
Matar Paneer is a delicious and creamy paneer dish cooked with green peas in onion-tomato gravy
Ingredients
- 2 cups onions sliced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder adjust to your heat tolerance
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1.5 cups ripe tomatoes cubed
- 1/2 cup cashew nuts raw and unsalted
- 1-2 tsp canned tomato paste optional but recommended
- 3/4 cup shelled green peas fresh or frozen
- 1.5 cups cubed paneer fresh or frozen, thawed
- 1 tsp kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves, easily available in Indian shops
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp cream optional, but recommended
- 3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves or cilantro, chopped
- 3 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Soak 1/2 cup cashew nuts in warm water for 30 minutes
- Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large pan and saute 2 cups onions until the edges start turning brown.
- Add 1 tsp garlic and 1 tsp ginger and saute again for a minute, until fragrant
- Add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, and 1/2 tsp cumin powder, along with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Saute for 30 seconds until roasted.
- Add 1.5 cups ripe tomatoes. Mix and cook until the tomatoes turn soft.
- Top off with 1-2 tsp canned tomato paste and mix again well. See notes for why this ingredient is recommended.
- Turn the heat off and leave the above mixture to cool.
- Meanwhile, grind the soaked cashew nuts with some water to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Saute 1.5 cups cubed paneer in some oil until all sides are light golden brown. Drain and set aside. Do not overcook the paneer, or it will turn rubbery.
- Once the tomato onion mixture is cool, grind to a coarse paste. Leaving some texture in it makes the final gravy nicer
- Return the onion-tomato paste to the stove in the same pan as before, along with the cashew paste and 3/4 cup shelled green peas.
- Add about 1.5 cups water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the peas is cooked. You can add more water if the gravy is too thick.
- Add 1 tsp kasuri methi, 1 tbsp cream (if using), required amount of salt, and 1 tsp garam masala. Mix well to combine everything
- Finally add the fried paneer and 3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped. Mix gently until the paneer is well coated in the gravy.
Notes
- The tomato paste gives a nice depth to the dish and also gives the matar paneer some colour. You can omit this if you want but I highly recommend adding some. You can transfer the remaining paste to an air tight container and keep in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Add to any tomato-based gravy, you won’t regret it. I also buy tomato paste in tubes (Mutti is a nice brand if you get it where you live) and it makes it much easier to add a "squeeze" to gravies and dal as I cook
- The cream is optional but I like adding some for flavour. If you don’t have any, don’t go out and buy it just for this dish. You can also add a dash of milk for some flavour, but remember this will reduce the shelf life quite a bit. Finish up your matar paneer in 2 days
- When I prepare Matar Paneer for guests, I make the gravy the previous day (until preparing the onion-tomato gravy). I also leave soaked cashews in the fridge. On the day, just grind the cashew paste and proceed. Also fry the paneer on the day of serving so it stays spongy and fresh
- Adding a crushed green chilli to the onion when frying it will give a different flavour to the gravy which I personally love. Adjust red chilli powder in this case
- You can add whole spices like cloves, cardamom, and a bay leaf, to the oil in the beginning instead of garam masala in the end. I just prefer the quicker version and biting into spices when eating this is just UGH.
- These days I avoid frying paneer at all and just add it to the simmering gravy and let it "cook" for a couple of minutes. Frying paneer tends to make it rubbery, especially when store bought