Matar paneer curry or cottage cheese-green pea curry is a classic north indian curry. This is the most popular and much loved dish which always remains at the top of north indian day to day menu
For this dish paneer/cottage cheese is pan fried or grilled until they get grill marks and then cooked with onion-tomato paste adding peas.As the paneer or cottage cheese has a bland flavour, so I prefer to pan-fry it first to give it a smoky flavour
This dish is kept mildly spiced and a little curd or yogurt is used to give a sour taste.A good matar paneer curry should have red-saffron colour. This is the secret of a good matar paneer curry.In North India especially among Delhi’s Punjabi community, moms and grandmoms will judge the perfection and taste by its colour.
The amazing saffron colour of this dish comes with tomato pulp and kashmiri red chillies. The kashmiri red chilly powder is not firey or hot but has mild peppery, smokey flavour
Course – Main Course
Cuisine – Indian
Prep Time – 10 Min
Cook Time – 25 Min
Total Time – 35 Min
Yield – 4 Servings
Author – Bharti Dhawan
Ingredients
QUANTITY OF INGREDIENTS MAY BE ADJUSTED TO YOUR NEED
1- Paneer/cottage cheese – 250 gms
2- Green peas/matar – 100 gms or 1 cup
3- Onion – 2 (medium sized)
4- Tomatoes – 2 (medium sized)
5- Ginger – 2-inch piece
6- Garlic cloves – 4-5
7- Curd or yogurt – 2 tbsp
8- Cooking oil – 1 tbsp for gravy+ 1 tbsp for pan frying the paneer
9- Salt – to taste
10- Kashmiri red chilly powder or degi mirch powder – 2 tsp
11- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
12- Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
13- Haldi/turmeric powder – 1 tsp
14- Cumin Seeds/ jeera – 1 tsp
Instructions
1- Firstly, grate onion, ginger and garlic and keep aside
2- Grate tomatoes to get a paste and keep aside
3- Heat oil in a nonstick pan and pan fry paneer slices and take them out to cut into the desired size
4- In the same pan add a little more oil and add cumin seeds first and then grated onion, ginger and garlic
5- Stir them until they change colour to light brown
6- Time to add red chilly powder, turmeric powder and dry coriander powder and stir for a while to roast spices
7- Add tomato puree and stir. Add little water and roast this masala
8- Mix everything well to make a masala of this consistency
9- Time to add curd or yogurt and roast the masala until oil appears on the sides of the pan
10- Now add water to make gravy.The amount of water depends to your taste and wish that what consistency of gravy you need
11- At this stage add salt and peas/ matar.Cover the pan and slow down the flame.Within 5 to 6 minutes the peas will become soft
12- Now add cubed paneer/cottage cheese and give the gravy a 2 minute boil
13- Tasty matar paneer curry is ready.Sprinkle the garam masala powder and cover the pan. The hot gravy will absorb the aromas of this wonder spice,making it more fragrant
14- Serve this dish with roti,rice or paranthas
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