Matar Paneer

Name: Matar Paneer
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Punjabi
Ingredients: 300g, cut into 2cm cubes paneer; 1.5 cups (200g), fresh or frozen peas; 2 medium (240g), roughly chopped onion; 3 medium (300g), roughly chopped tomato; 1.5 inch ginger; 5 cloves garlic; 2 green chilli; 3 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 2 tsp coriander powder; 1 tsp kashmiri chilli; 1/2 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp, crushed kasuri methi; 1/2 tsp sugar; to taste salt; 1.5 cups water; 2 tbsp, chopped coriander leaves

peas and paneer in a straightforward onion-tomato gravy, the weeknight standard

egg freegluten freenut freevegetarian

Matar Paneer — Photo: Ravi Dwivedi · CC BY-SA 4.0

Prep15 min

Cook30 min

Active45 min

Plus15 min soaking

Serves4

Difficultyeasy

Per serving411 kcal

Allergens in Matar Paneer: milk.

Ingredients

Quantities for 4.

300g, cut into 2cm cubes Paneer
1.5 cups (200g), fresh or frozen Peas
2 medium (240g), roughly chopped Onion
3 medium (300g), roughly chopped Tomato
1.5 inch Ginger
5 cloves Garlic
2 Green Chilli
3 tbsp Gheeor neutral oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Bay Leafoptional
1/2 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp, crushed Kasuri Methi
1/2 tsp Sugarbalances sharp tomatoesoptional
to taste Salt
1.5 cups Water
2 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional

Cookware

stovetop, kadhai

Ingredient names in English →

Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.

Before you start

If the paneer is firm from the fridge, soak the cubes in hot salted water 15 minutes and drain just before adding.
Blend the onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and chilli into a smooth paste and keep it ready. This gravy comes together fast.
Frozen peas go in at the end; fresh peas need 8 minutes of simmering.

Method

Blend the onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chillies to a smooth paste with 2 tbsp water.
Heat the ghee in a kadhai, add the bay leaf and cumin seeds, and let them crackle 20 seconds.
Pour in the blended paste (stand back, it spits) and cook on medium for 15 minutes.Keep going until the paste darkens to brick red and oil clearly separates at the edges. Half-cooked paste tastes raw and metallic.
Stir in the turmeric, coriander powder and kashmiri chilli and fry 1 minute.
Add 1.5 cups water, 1 tsp salt and the sugar, and bring to a simmer.
Add the peas and simmer 8 minutes for fresh, 4 minutes for frozen, until tender.
Slide in the paneer cubes and simmer 4 minutes on low.Low heat only. Boiled paneer goes tough and squeaky.
Crush in the kasuri methi and add the garam masala.
Rest off the heat 5 minutes so the paneer takes up the gravy, then taste for salt.
Scatter the coriander and serve with roti or rice.

Storage

Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water. Not suitable for freezing. The paneer turns spongy.

Nutrition Medium estimate

One serving of Matar Paneer (356 g) is about 411 calories, or 116 calories per 100 g.

Medium protein: 19 g a serving, 18% of the calories

	Per serving356 g	Per 100 g
Calories	411 kcal	116 kcal
Protein	18.8 g	5 g
Carbohydrate	22.5 g	6 g
of which sugars	10.0 g	3 g
Fibre	6.3 g	2 g
Fat	28.5 g	8 g
of which saturated	15.8 g	4 g
of which unsaturated	9.1 g	2 g

Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for garam masala. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.

More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Punjabi recipes

Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.