Matar Paneer

Peas and paneer in a tomato sauce, with the garam masala going in at the end.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (ghee), dairy (paneer), dairy (whole milk), dairy (yoghurt).

Ingredients

• 300 g Paneer, as on its own page, in cubes
• 250 g peas
• 500 g tomatoes, chopped, or 400 g tinned
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground red chilli
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 300 ml water

Method

1. PEAS AND PANEER IN A TOMATO SAUCE, WITH THE GARAM MASALA GOING IN AT THE END. Its article describes it in one line -- peas and paneer in a TOMATO-BASED sauce, SPICED WITH GARAM MASALA -- and both halves are instructions. Tomato-based means the body of the gravy is tomato rather than nut paste or cream, which is what separates this from the shahi paneer page here. And a dish named for its garam masala wants it added late: garam masala is a finishing blend of ground spices and ten minutes of simmering flattens it to dust.
2. THE TOMATOES ARE COOKED DOWN UNTIL THEY DARKEN AND THE FAT SEPARATES. Twelve to fifteen minutes after the onions. This is the whole gravy and undercooked tomato tastes raw and metallic right through it.
3. THE GROUND SPICES GO IN BEFORE THE TOMATOES, NOT AFTER. Coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli into the fat with the ginger and garlic for thirty seconds. They need fat and not liquid.
4. THE PANEER GOES IN LAST AND BARELY COOKS. Three or four minutes at a bare simmer. Boiled in gravy it goes rubbery and squeaks.
5. IT IS NOT FRIED FIRST HERE. Fried cubes hold their edges and stay firm; unfried they stay soft and take up the gravy. This page leaves them unfried, and says so because it is a choice rather than a rule.
6. THE PEAS GO IN WITH ENOUGH TIME TO COOK AND NO MORE. Six or seven minutes for fresh, three for frozen. Grey peas in a red gravy mean they were in too long.
7. THE GRAVY IS LOOSENED WITH WATER, NOT CREAM. Three hundred millilitres, simmered to the thickness you want.
8. ITS ARTICLE NAMES THE USUAL ADDITIONS. Potato, corn, yoghurt or cream. Each changes it: potato stretches it, cream mutes the tomato.
9. IT IS SERVED WITH RICE OR A BREAD. Its article names naan, paratha, poori and roti, all of which are pages here.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes