This may not be your usual restaurant type paneer recipe, but this Matar Paneer is equally delicious yet so much more easier to make.

This is a very simple curry, yet the flavors that are in play work well with each other so well that you will keep wanting more! The tangy tomato sauce mixed in with the spices gets absorbed by the paneer and the green peas does more than just imparting that punch of green that dots the curry.

A lot of the curries you eat at the restaurants are not necessarily what are made at Indian homes for everyday dinners. Yes, in some parts of the country and at some time they used to be the same. But not with a good majority of the houses, especially the modern health conscious homes.

We love the creamy rich curries as much as anyone else, but it is not something I can stomach (literally) all days of the week. In fact, my family is now used to the variety in cuisine that is made at home, that they seem to get bored with a repetition of any kind. Spoilt much?

But that said, this Matar Paneer, Dal Fry, Lauki Chana Dal, Dal Palak, Egg Curry with Coconut Milk, Chicken Curry, Potato Curry with Tomatoes and Onions, Sambar, Zucchini Dal, Sweet and Sour Mango Curry and Rajma Masala are some of our everyday curries and we tend to get biased towards the richer Paneer Tikka Masala, Malai Kofta and Butter Chicken on special occasions or when we have guests over!

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Matar Paneer – The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne / red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ cup cashew nuts, soaked in water for about 15 mins
• 2 organic Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 14 oz paneer cut into 1 inch cubes, about 2 cups
• 1 cup green peas
• salt, to taste
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Method:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep pan and add the onion, ginger and garlic to it. Sauté till the onions softens. Add the turmeric, cayenne, coriander powder and cumin powder. Cook till the spices all mix together and get cooked a little, for a couple of minutes. Now add the tomatoes and the garam masala.

Sauté till the tomatoes soften. Switch off heat and let it cool.

Drain the cashew nuts and put them in a blender along with the onion-tomato mix and blend to a smooth puree.

Pour this back to the pan and add the tomato paste. Add a little water, ½ cup at a time and let it mix well. The consistency should be saucy yet thick, sort of like pasta sauce. Now add the paneer cubes and salt to it and mix in. Let it cook on medium heat for 5 mins or so.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rotis / chapatis / naan.

Note

• The tomato paste I use in this curry is not from a can or a tube as I am wary of BPA leeching into it. I try to avoid canned stuff as much as possible. I have found tomato paste in little glass jars in many stores and that is what I have switched to now.
• Many add a little cream to the sauce. I have always made it without the cream and that is how we like it. But you are free to add a little cream, maybe ¼ cup or so at the very end.

Here are some other paneer recipes that you may like: