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Matar paneer is the perfect combination of soft paneer and rich and creamy gravy – it is a classic North Indian recipe.Probably that’s why it finds its way in all Indian restaurant menu all over the world. It goes well with soft buttery naan and even with warm rice. Mutter paneer is definitely something we should try if you want to eat vegetarian food at any Indian restaurant, the recipe is so common that most of the restaurants does a pretty good job preparing it, and this I’m saying from personal experience.
So, when I thought of making something from the big slab of paneer lying in my fridge for quite sometime now, the restaurant style mutter paneer came to mind. It is a simple recipe, pretty straight forward, even my husband, an occasional cook found the recipe pretty easy to follow. Most restaurants don’t fry the paneer cubes, but being a Bengali I like my paneer fried, it feels much softer if you fry the paneer and let it soak in water for sometime. If you don’t like fried paneer just omit that step.
- 1 lb paneer
- ¼ cup frozen or fresh peas
- 2 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 8 - 10 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 one inch ginger root, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 1 large cinnamon bark
- 2-3 green cardamom
- 1 - 2 black cardamom
- 3 - 4 cloves
- 1 - 2 bay leaves
- Heat 2 tablespoon of butter till it’s completely melted, add in the whole spices and bay leaves, as they start spluttering add the chopped onions, ginger and garlic, fry till the onion is almost done about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and cook further till the fat starts separating
- Transfer to a bowl and wait till cooled. In a food processor, grind the onion mix to a smooth paste, pour in little water at a time if it gets too thick
- Cut the paneer block into 1 centimeter cubes. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, and lightly fry the paneer cubes till the sides start turning light brown. Transfer to a big bowl and pour in warm water to keep the paneer moist.
- Add the rest of the butter to the pan, throw in the cumin seeds, as they start spluttering pour the onion mix paste. Add in all the ground spices, kasuri methi and season with salt. Toss to mix the spices completely with the onion paste. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the peas and the paneer. Pour about ½ cup of water if the gravy gets too thick.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with naan or jeera rice
- As the gravy starts to boil, it will start spluttering everywhere, be very careful and use a cover if required
- If using fresh peas, then add the peas along with the ground spices.
- To make the gravy creamier you can pour about ¼ cup of heavy cream just before turning off the flame.
The thing about restaurant gravy my family has found, it’s so rich you don’t even care what’s floating in it. Once we took home the gravy from chicken tikka masala, the little chicken cubes having been consumed quite early in the process. But my son went gaga for the velvety buttery sauce and we packed it up for home with an extra naan! So this recipe looks like a winner as to that aspect!
Thanks Jen, I know even though the restaurant gravy looks so rich and spicy but some days you just want to devour that.