Matar Paneer

I and my daughter simply love paneer. This might be the nth time I am saying this, but that is the fact. So any dish where paneer is one of the ingredient gets an immediate nod from my lil one.  Off late, my daughter has started accompanying me to the super market. As soon as we enter the store, she is on her own, with a small basket in her hand. By the time I finish my shopping, she would’ve finished hers too and a couple of sure shot things that would be in her basket are chocolates and paneer! There would be many other things, which of course I have to diplomatically discard. Such is my daughter’s love for Paneer. Let’s get to today’s recipe, an all time classic and a favorite of many: - Matar Paneer.

What you’ll need

1.       Fresh/Frozen Green Peas – 1 Cup

2.       Cottage Cheese/Paneer – 150 gms

3.       Onion – 2 Medium

4.       Tomatoes – 3 Medium

5.       Garlic – 2 to 3 cloves

6.       Ginger – a small piece

7.       Cashew Nuts – 4 or 5

8.       Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

9.       Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

10.   Chilli Powder – 1 tsp (Adjust according to taste)

11.   Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp

12.   Cumin Seeds / Jeera – ½ tsp

13.   Milk – ½ cup

14.   Kasoori Methi – 1 tsp

15.   Fresh Coriander Leaves – for garnishing

16.   Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

1.       Peel and roughly chop onions. Grind onions, ginger, garlic and cashew nuts into a smooth paste.

2.       Also grind the tomatoes into a smooth paste.

3.       Cut the paneer into cubes and soak them in salted lukewarm water until the time of use.

4.       Cook the green peas in water and keep aside.

5.       Heat a Kadai with oil, add cumin seeds.

6.       Once the cumin seeds change color, add the ground paste of onions, ginger, garlic and cashewnuts. Saute for a few minutes or till the raw smell of the onions disappears, say about 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat.

7.       Now add in the spice powders – turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Saute for about 2 minutes.

8.       Next add in the tomato paste and fry till all the moisture disappears and the oil starts separating.

9.       Now add in the paneer, green peas about 1 cup of water and salt to taste. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes. Adjust the amount of water depending on the consistency.

10.   Next sprinkle the garam masala, Kasoori Methi and add the milk. Stir well and simmer for another 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Yummy Matar Paneer is ready. Serve hot with rotis or parathas.

Linking this to the Winter Carnival at Tickling Palates, CWS– Green Peas hosted by Priya and Kalyani’s HLI – Green Peas hosted by Veena.