Punjabi-style peas and cheese, also called Mattar Paneer and Matar Paneer. The recipe on whats4eats seems the most straight-forward and has the easiest ingredients to find in an American city grocery store. Note: if you see a description for “cottage cheese” in Indian recipes or menus, don’t think of the soft, small curds in white whey (liquid) you buy in the dairy section of American grocery stores. Although both cottage cheeses are made similarly, the Indian style is usually dry, firm and sold in a cube, much like tofu . Slice the Paneer brick into 1/2-inch or 1-inch cubes before you prepare an Indian recipe.
Ingredients for your shopping list
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves Garlic, chopped s
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1/4 Cup Oil
- 1 block Paneer (look for this creamy white block of cheese at Fiesta, in the Indian foods frozen food section)
- 1 16-oz bag of frozen green Peas
- 1 Cup canned Tomato sauce (about 8-oz can)
- 1/2 Cup Water (may need another 1/2 cup later on)
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander, ground
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper — to taste
Summary
Puree the onion, garlic, ginger and spices in a blender or food processor. Fry paneer cubes in hot oil in non-stick skillet over high heat light brown, then remove from oil and set aside. Sauté the spice mixture from the food processor in the remaining oil over medium high heat for 8 minutes. Return Paneer to the skillet, add peas and tomato sauce and stir gently to mix all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add rest of ingredients and simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes.
Variations
- Aloo Matar: Substitute 1 to 2 cups of peeled, cubed potatoes for the paneer. Follow the same steps as above, browning the potatoes in the same way as for the paneer.
- Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of yogurt or cream at the end if you like.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of paprika to the onion-spice puree if you like.
- Sprinkle the finished dish with a little garam masala (spice) and some chopped cilantro.