Matar Paneer

Fresh peas in a spicy tomato based gravy and chunks of Indian cottage cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Pure Veg

Keyword Indian, Indian Recipe, Matar, Paneer, Peas, Spicy

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Servings

Calories 431kcal

Shell the peas. Place in about 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the peas are soft. Depending on how late into the season, the peas in India can be real tough and require a bit of good boiling to soften them up. Strain and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee/butter in the pan. Add the cumins seeds and quickly fry til they sputter. Then add the fresh ginger, turmeric power, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and mix well. Add the chopped tomatoes and cashews. Add about 1/2 cup of water, cover and simmer for 20 minute or so until the mixture is soft and blended.
Cool the tomato mixture (if you can wait that long, I usually can't); add to a blender with another 1/2 cup of water and blend until smooth. Pour through a sieve to get a really smooth gravy. I do this with all my Indian gravies because I don't like to find tomato skins or chunks of ginger in the sauce.
Set aside
Another thing I always do when cooking with paneer - give it a quick saute in butter and usually chopped fresh coriander leaves. So, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a saute pan, add the copped paneer and chopped fresh coriander and saute on high for several minutes. The paneer becomes nice and soft.
Return the tomato gravy back to a pan and heat. Add in the peas, cook for several minutes, add the fresh cream, then add in the sauteed paneer. Cook to heat, add crushed Kasoori Methi leaves and serve.