Mattar Paneer

Matter paneer is a North Indian vegetarian dish, which consists of green peas and paneer cooked in an aromatic tomato-based gravy. There are many variations of this basic recipe. For instance, some fry the paneer before adding it in the gravy and some do not. There are even variations which include cubed potato. You can easily adapt the basic recipe I have provided below to suit your tastes. To keep this dish relatively healthy, I opted to use less oil/ghee than is usually called for. I also added a carrot to help with the colour as well as to add sweetness rather than use sugar.

Matter Paneer RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. butter (or ghee)
• 2 tbsp. chopped onion
• 2 garlic clove chopped
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1.5-2 tsp garam masala
• half tsp turmeric
• quarter tsp red chilli powder
• 10 cashews or blanched almonds soaked and blended in quarter cup hot water
• 4 tbsp. cream (add up to quarter cup)
• 7-8 tomatoes on the vine, chopped
• half carrot, sliced (used instead of sugar to combat the tartness of the tomatoes)
• 200g good quality paneer, cubed
• 1 cup cooked green peas
• salt and pepper to taste
• half tsp of dried fenugreek leaves
• fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant and onions are translucent.
2. Add the tomatoes and carrot. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until tomatoes and carrots are soft and cooked fully.
3. Add all the spices let it cook for an additional two minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool before blending it in a food processor.
5. Once blended, add the mixture back to the saucepan and reheat.
6. Add the cream, cashew nut mixture, paneer, and cooked peas. Bring to a boil and let it cook for no longer than three minutes.
7. Season with salt, pepper, and dried fenugreek leaves.
8. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander before serving.

NOTE:

• Serve with hot basmati rice or naan. You can find my recipe for naan HERE.
• When choosing paneer, look for a good quality brand paneer that will hold its shape and not crumble during the cooking process.
• When cooking paneer, cook for a maximum of two to three minutes, until soft. If overcooked, the texture and taste of the paneer will be completely different.
• If gravy is too thick, add some water until desired consistency is reached.