Mutter Paneer

Indian Mutter or Matar Paneer masala is a delicious restaurant-style vegetarian curry recipe. This rich and creamy vegetarian curry is an easy one-pot meal that comes together in an hour.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine North Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Servings people

Calories 244.68kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

For the ground paste

¼ cup cashews
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
3 green chillies

To prep the Paneer

14 oz low-fat paneer
water

To make the gravy

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilly powder
1 teaspoon chilly powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
28 oz canned chopped tomatoes
salt
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
1 cup green peas
2.5 cups water
1 tablespoon Kasuri methi
2 tablespoon cilantro

Instructions

To make the ground paste

Soak cashews in hot water for 15 minutes.
Add onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies, and drained cashews to a blender jar. Blitz to make a smooth puree. Keep it aside for now.

To prep the paneer

Cut paneer into one inch cubes.
Soak it in warm water. Set it aside for now.

To make the gravy

Heat butter and ghee to a pot. Temper cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add Kashmiri chilly powder, chilly powder and turmeric powder. Fry for 30 seconds.
Now add the ground onion paste along with ½ cup water. Saute for 5 minutes on medium flame.
Next add the canned tomatoes along with salt. Mix and continue to cook for 10-12 minutes. Cover if it starts to splutter. Keep stirring at intervals.
Next goes in the green peas along with water. Bring it to a boil. Then cover the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring at intervals.
The curry would have reduced and thickened by now.
Then add coriander powder, cumin powder and cardamom powder. Mix.
Add the paneer cubes and mix them into the curry. Cook for 2 minutes.
Garnish with crushed Kasuri methi, cilantro and garam masala. Mix and take the pot off the flame. Keep the pot covered.

Notes

To save time, you can use ready cashew paste instead of soaking cashews. In order to make this matar paneer nut-free, use tahini, sesame seeds, or coconut milk instead of cashews.

If the tomatoes or the canned tomato puree is very tart, or sour, balance the flavors by adding a teaspoon of sugar.

After adding the tomatoes, do not rush the cooking process. The longer the tomatoes cook, the tastier they become.

Once you add the paneer, do not overcook or overmix the curry. The paneer cubes could break and also become rubbery.

Nutrition