Paneer matter…Traditional Indian cheese in a green pea curry

paneer mattar

paneer mattar

Ingredients:

25 gms broken cashews, 1 chopped onion, 2 – 3 chopped tomatoes, whole garam masala (or alternatively powdered garam masala), 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 1 – 2 green chillies (optional), 400 gms boiled and chopped in to cubes paneer, 1 large cup of boiled green peas, 2 tablespoon of kasturi methi (dried fenugreek leaves), a pinch of turmeric, 1 tablespoon chilli powder, 1 tablespoon cumin powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, ½ cup cream or thick yogurt (optional),  salt to taste and oil to cook, coriander to garnish

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the broken cashew nuts till they turn golden.
  2. Add chopped onions and salt and cook onions till they are slightly brown in colour.
  3. Add turmeric and ginger garlic paste and cook till raw flavour of ginger garlic paste vanishes.
  4. Now, add chopped tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are slightly soft.
  5. Then put all this in a blender and make a fine paste.
  6. Add some oil in a pan and add whole garam masala (if you are using garam masala powder, then add it towards the end of the dish)
  7. Temper the oil with cumin seeds. Allow them to crackle them and then add the tomato-onion-cashew puree and some water.
  8. Add green chillies if needed, cumin powder, turmeric and coriander powder.
  9. Bring the mixture to boil and cook for 15 minutes at a medium flame.
  10. Add powdered kasturi meethi and cook for another 10 minutes.
  11. Add boiled green peas and cook for 5 minutes.
  12. Lastly, add boiled paneer and shimmer it.
  13. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and a dash of cream. Shimmer it for a few more minutes and serve with hot parathas.

Health tip:

Using boiled paneer, instead of fried one, significantly lowers the fat content of this food. Further, try using thick yogurt instead of cream to make the dish rich. The kasturi methi will add a buttery flavour to the dish without use of butter and with the added properties of methi! Also, you can male aloo mattar in the same way, replacing the paneer with boiled potatoes, another fat reducing technique while still retaining the yummy flavour of the dish.

Category : The Ooh la las
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