Matar Paneer masala- Paneer and green peas in rich tomato gravy

Matar paneer masala with step by step photos

Matar paneer masala is a very popular north Indian dish made with paneer and green peas in rich tomato-onion gravy. I tasted it many times from Mangalore. Its richness and creaminess made me a fan of this dish. This dish can be made in different ways and can be made richer by adding cream and cashew paste. Here I am following the simplest way of making matar paneer masala.

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Matar paneer recipe | Matar paneer masala recipe | North Indian Matar paneer masala recipe

Paneer and butter in rich tomato gravy

Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 200 gram Cottage cheese or paneer, cubed
• ¾ cup green peas or matar
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds / jeerakam
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• ¾ teaspoon kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves
• 3 teaspoon oil or ghee
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• Cashew paste from 8 to 10 cashews
• Water as needed
• Salt as required
• coriander leaves for garnishing

For tomato-onion paste

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 green chilies, chopped
• 1” ginger, chopped
• 2-3 garlic, chopped

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Matar paneer masala preparation with step by step photos

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil/ghee in a pan, splutter cumin seeds and sauté onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies, till the onion became translucent.
  
• Add tomato and saute till soft. Switch off the stove.
  
•  Grind into a fine paste in a mixer grinder.
  
• Add remaining oil/ghee in the same pan, saute bay leaf, cardamom, clove and cinnamon for 1 minute.
  
• Reduce the flame to low-medium, saute turmeric powder, chili powder and Kashmiri chili powder till the raw smell leaves. Be conscious, the powder can burn easily.
  
• Add prepared tomato-onion paste and cook on low-medium flame.
  
• Saute till the oil starts to separate, also the colour will be a little darker.
  
  
• Add peas and  1.5 cups of water and cook till the peas became soft.
  
• Add salt,  paneer cubes, garam masala and kasoori methi and cook for two to three minutes.
  
• Add cashew paste (optional) and cook till the gravy thickens. Switch off the stove.
  
• Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or chapati.
  

Matar paneer masala- Tips

• You can add fresh cream or cashews to make the dish richer.
• Take care the paste splutters while sautéing. If too much spluttering, keep on low-medium flame or partially cover with a lid.

Happy cooking

Anju