Matar Paneer

Matar Paneer is a very popular vegetarian North Indian gravy based paneer dish consisting of green peas and paneer in a tangy tomato based sauce, seasoned with garam masala and various other spices. Matar Paneer is a must have dish in any North Indian food joint or restaurant also it is very popular in any North Indian festive or celebratory occasion.

For making Matar Paneer gravy, I first sauteed onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chilies in the oil, then pureed them using a hand blender. Again transferred the puree into the pan and seasoned it with spices. Lastly peas and cubed paneer are added in it. So easy it is to make.

Here I am presenting a very simple and easy version of Matar Paneer recipe. Though this recipe may not be a restaurant style but it is a simple, easy to make homemade dish to relish with roti, paratha or rice. I have only added cream in it (that too is optional and you can skip adding it if you don’t want to add calories in it), however to make it more rich, heavy and creamy you can also add cashewnuts paste in it. But i never add cashew paste in my matar Paneer recipe.

You can check more recipes of paneer like: Paneer Jalfrezi, Paneer Ke Kofte, Paneer Makhani, Shahi Paneer, Paneer Do Pyaza, Teekha Paneer Masala and lots more.

So let’s start making Matar Paneer. Here is the step by step recipe with pictures.

Ingredients:

Fresh Cheese (Paneer)- 200 grams

Green Peas- 1 cup

Oil- 2 tablespoon

Fresh Cream- 2 tablespoon

Water- 1.5 cup or as required

Salt- As per your taste

Green Coriander Leaves (Hara Dhaniya)- For garnishing (optional)

Ingredients for Masala Paste:

Onion- 2 medium, roughly chopped

Garlic- 6-7 cloves, roughly chopped

Ginger- 1.5 inch piece, roughly chopped

Tomatoes- 3 medium, roughly chopped

Green Chilies- 2, roughly chopped

Dry and Whole Spices:

Cinnamon (Dalchini)- 2-3 small sticks

Coriander Seeds- 1.5 teaspoon

Cloves (Laung)- 4-5

Cumin Seeds (Jeera)- 1 teaspoon

Bay Leaf- 1 big or 2 small

Kasoori Methi- 1 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder- 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chili Powder- 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaf and roughly chopped garlic in it (I forgot to add bay leaf in this step so added it later). Saute over medium flame till the raw aroma of garlic goes away.

2. Add ginger, green chilies and onions in it. Mix well and saute over medium flame for 1-2 minutes or till onions become translucent and the raw aroma goes away.

3. Add tomatoes and mix well. Season with little salt and cook over medium flame till tomatoes are soft and mushy.

4. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool down. Later puree it using a hand blender or electric mixer.

5. Mean while take out all the whole spices in a plate.

6. Dry roast all the whole spices on low flame till they start releasing their aroma.

7. Grind them to a fine powder using a electric mixer, you can also do this using a mortar and pestle and sieve it to get the fine spice powder mix. Keep it aside.

8. Now heat a pressure cooker and pour the pureed masala paste in it. Cook this masala paste over medium flame till it starts releasing oil from its sides.

9. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder in it and mix well.

10. Add fresh cream and mix well. Be gentle while mixing the cream.

11. Cook the masala over low-medium flame till you can smell a nice aroma and it becomes thick also. This is how it looks.

12. Add green peas and mix well.

13. Add water as required and season with salt (as per your taste).

14. Now close the lid of pressure cooker and cook over medium flame for 4-5 whistles (depending upon the size of your cooker and variety of peas used, whistles count may be increased or decreased) or till peas are completely cooked. Allow the pressure to release. Open the lid and stir t gently, later add paneer in it and mix well.

15. Simmer it for 2 more minutes and add kasoori methi and spice powder mix that we prepared.

16. Cook it for 2 more minutes and turn the flame off. Matar Paneer is ready to serve. You can enjoy it with roti, rice, paratha, naan or pudina naan. I prefer to savor it with simple steamed rice.