Matar paneer
How to make matar paneer
Matar paneer, a popular curry of North India and punjab is made with green peas and paneer in a rich tomato onion based gravy with some spices.
It is also known as mutter paneer or mattar paneer that can be easily made at the comfort of your kitchen. Here you can find the recipe made from scratch with step by step methods with photos and video.
Matar paneer is one of the best paneer recipe that you can make like restaurant style or dhaba style at home. Paneer known as cottage cheese is the most sought after vegetarian food product in India. With paneer you can make numerous dishes, gravy, tikka masala, butter masala and other sabji as well.
Among them matar paneer is considered as a versatile paneer dish that most of us use as a sabji with roti and rice. The star ingredients for this recipe is paneer and matar ( green peas).
You can use a homemade paneer or a store brought to make this . I personally recommend to use malai paneer for this recipe. As it is soft and smooth. And you don't need to soak the paneer in water before cooking. Just cut them into pieces and wash for 2 to 3 times carefully before cooking.
Paneer is generally soaked in water while storing for one or two days in a refrigerator to prevent from getting sour.
Similarly you can use fresh matar or a frozen one. If using fresh one then boil then for 5 to 7 minutes to get well cooked before adding them into the gravy.
And for frozen green peas, just soak them in warm water for 10 minutes before adding into the gravy.
Make ahead option for matar paneer is quite easy. All you need to make the base of the gravy well cooked as instructed below. Then cool down completely and place in a air tight container or jar. Store in freezer for upto 15 days. With this gravy you can quickly make mater paneer.
Steps to make the recipe
Making tomato onion puree for the gravy
For best matar paneer the base of the gravy is very important. The gravy should be smooth, little creamy and yellowish in colour.
To give it a restaurant style flavour, first take some whole spices like bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves and black cardamom and fry them for 30 to 40 seconds or till aroma released.
Then add roughly chopped or sliced onions and fry till light brown over medium heat flame.
Add the tomatoes (Chopped or sliced), one green chili and cashew nuts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or till the tomatoes become soft.
Remove and cool down completely. Then discard the whole spices and grind them into a fine paste ( puree) by adding little water.
If you don't like or allergic to nuts or cashew then avoid to use them above. Use some more heavy cream later to make the gravy smooth.
Making the gravy masala
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and fry some cumin seeds to sizzle and then add ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell of ginger garlic paste goes.
Pour the prepared onion tomato puree and stir to mix on slow flame heat.
Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Mix and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. We need to cook the masala nicely at this stage for the best matar paneer.
Now pour 1/2 cup water or as you want the gravy consistency and simmer for another 2 minutes over medium heat flame.
Make the matar paneer sabji
Add the matar and simmer further for one more minute.
Then add the paneer pieces and give a nice stir. Add salt as per the taste and cook them for 2 minutes.
Pour fresh cream into the matar paneer gravy and cook to thicken little bit.
Sprinkle some fresh chopped coriander leaves and remove.
Serve it hot along with some homemade phulka or chapati.
I have used Amul fresh cream to make this, you can use other cream as well. But most of the paneer dishes like paneer butter masala, paneer makhani and paneer tikka masala are best to make with a Amul fresh cream.
For Jain matar paneer avoid to use onion and ginger garlic paste. Use only tomato puree with cashew nuts. Rest of the steps are same as above. Pour little bit more fresh cream to make the gravy smooth and thick.
Dhaba style the matar paneer gravy is little bit more spicy due to the uses of green chili paste. Make a tempering with julienne shape ginger and slits green chili and pour just before serving.
Matar paneer recipe video
If you love the recipe then I am sure you would love more paneer recipes like
Mater paneer
Matar paneer is a popular paneer curry or sabji recipe made with green peas and paneer in a rich tomato onion based gravy with some spices. It is best to serve with homemade chapati or phulka.
Prep time 15 min, cook time 15 min, serve 2
Author : Mobasir hassan
Ingredients
- 200 gm paneer
- 50 gm or 1/2 cup matar ( green peas)
- 2 medium size onion roughly chopped
- 2 medium size tomato roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 cloves
- 10 - 12 cashew nuts
- 1 green chili
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/3 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/3 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1/3 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 tablespoon fresh cream
- Salt as per taste
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- Small handful of coriander leaves
- Heat 2 tablespoon cooking oil in a pan over medium heat flame. When the oil become hot add the whole spices bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, black cardamom and cloves.
- Fry them for 30 to 40 seconds or till the spices released aromatic flavours.
- Add the roughly chopped onion and fry. Add one green chili and fry till the onions become light brown or for 2 - 3 minutes in medium high flame heat.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cashew nuts and fry for another 4 to 5 minutes or till the tomatoes become soft.
- Now remove them and discard the whole spices and grind into a fine paste using a mixer grinder (blender).
- Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in the pan and add the cumin seeds and fry to sizzle. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 40 to 50 seconds or till the raw smell of ginger garlic paste goes off.
- Now lower the flame to low and pour the above prepared puree into the pan and mix well.
- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Mix them well with the puree and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat flame.
- When the masala start to leave the cooking oil from sides add half cup of water. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Now add the matar( green peas) into the gravy and cook for one minute. Then add the paneer pieces into the gravy.
- Give everything a good stir and mix well. Add 1)4 teaspoon salt or as per taste into the gravy and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Pour 2 tablespoon fresh cream into the gravy and mix well. When the gravy start to become little thick, taste the seasoning and if required add as per your taste.
- Sprinkle some chopped cilantro and remove the matar paneer to serve hot.
- Calories : 280
- Fats : 22 g
- Protein : 8 g
- Carbohydrate : 18 g
- Homemade chapati and phulka is best to serve with any paneer dishes like this.
- In dhaba or restaurant, tandoori roti , butter naan or paratha is served with it
- Steam basmati rice or other flavoured rice like jeera rice and pulao are good to have with this.
- You can avoid to use cashew nuts if have any nuts allergies. Use heavy cream in place of cashew.
- To make it little bit more spicy use green chili paste.
