Mattar Paneer
Mattar Paneer – tomato based spiced up curry made with peas, paneer and spices along with hint of methi & honey!
This is one the very commonly made north Indian curry. It is simply made with onions, tomatoes, fresh spices like ginger garlic chili, dry spices, peas and paneer. Simply make the gravy, let it simmer, add in boiled peas & paneer and thats about it. It is super simple to make and pairs well with roti, paratha, naan, kulcha with side of raita!!
My kids love this dish, one of the ways I add in lots of peas to their diet. And who does not like paneer, it is never a challenge for me to feed them paneer in literally any form I can think of! You can easily tame the spices down in this dish to make it super kid friendly! This also makes a great dish for meal plan. Make a batch on a weekend and enjoy it during weekdays. Other way is to make the gravy ahead of time, you can freeze the gravy too!! Then simply add peas & paneer to the gravy on the day of, simmer it for some time and you are all set! It will certainly cut down the time and efforts on the day of serving this goodie!
You can pair this Matter Paneer with my delicious Dal Makhani along with jeera rice, naan and crunchy veggie raita. Serve this Kaju Anjeer Rabdi or Fruit Custard for dessert to make it a full on Indian feast!! This would make a great Diwali menu!! If you end up making this delicious Mattar Paneer or any of my recipes, tag me on Instagram @myvegetarianroots. I would love to see your recreation of these goodies!
Happy & Healthy Eating!
Mattar Paneer
Ingredients
Tomato Paste
- 2 Large Tomatoes
- 2 clove Garlic
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 inch Ginger Root
- 2 Whole Dry Red Chili medium/mild heat
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Dry Whole Coriander Seeds
Gravy
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 4 Whole Peppercorn
- 4 Whole Cloves
- 1 Small Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Whole Dry Red Chili
- 2 Whole Green Cardamom
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1¼ cup Finely Chopped Onions
- 2 clove Minced Garlic
- 1 inch Grated Ginger
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala use ¼ tsp if your Garam Masala is very strong
- 1½ tsp Cumin Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Kasuri Methi
- 2 tsp Honey
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Water ¼ + ¼
- 2 cup Frozen Peas
- 28 oz Cubed Paneer
- ¼ cup Finely Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
- Soak 2 whole dry red chili in hot water for 10-15 min.
- Blend everything listed under "Tomato Paste" along with soaked whole red chili (without the water) to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
- Boil frozen peas in hot water for couple of minutes (until soft to press). Add in cubed paneer in the same boiling water, keep boiling for another minute. Once, done, drain all the water out and keep it aside.
- Heat oil and butter in a heavy bottom deep pan. I like using coated cast iron pot/pan for this recipe.
- Once butter is melted, add in whole dry spices listed above (peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, whole dry red chili, green cardamom, bay leaf).
- Saute whole spices for few second. Add in cumin seeds and saute for few more second until the cumin seeds start to fragrant and turn color into deeper brown.
- Add in finely chopped onions along with minced garlic, grated ginger and 1 tsp of salt. Mix well, keep cooking till onions are completely translucent, do not brown them.
- Add in tomato puree that was made earlier. Mix well. Keep cooking until half of the moisture from the tomato puree is evaporated.
- Add in all the spices (1 tsp of salt, kashmiri red chili powder, cumin coriander powder, garam masala & turmeric powder). Mix well. Keep cooking until most of the moisture from the puree is evaporated.
- Rub kasuri methi between your palm and add it into the gravy. Mix well.
- Mix in ¼ cup of heavy cream, ¼ cup of water and 2 tsp of honey. Mix well.
- Add prepped peas & paneer to the gravy. Mix gently. Add another ¼ cup of water if the gravy is too thick. Mix well and let it simmer for 2-4 minutes.
- Mix in freshly chopped cilantro. Mix well. Serve it with side of paratha, salad & raita!