Matar Paneer recipe or curry made with cottage cheese and peas is a popular curry recipe in North India.
For vegetarians not only is it a good and tasty source of protein, paneer matar masala also has a homely comfort food feeling about it.
This is a mildly spiced curry which is made creamy by the addition of cashews. Matar paneer ki recipe is light and tasty and works really well in lunchboxes.
Here is my recipe of matar paneer:
How to Make Matar Paneer (Step-by-step Pictures)
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and allow to sputter.
Add finely chopped onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies and saute well for 10 minutes till cooked.
Add finely chopped tomato and fry till mushy. Now add cashew paste, turmeric powder along with peas.
Now add garam masala, coriander powder, chilli powder (optional) and crushed kasuri methi with salt.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Cook on medium heat till peas are cooked through.
Now add paneer cubes. Cook for a couple of minutes well till they are heated through.
Don't cook them too much or they become hard and stringy.
Taste and adjust for salt and spice.
Delicious matar paneer is ready to serve. Have it hot with rotis or boiled rice.
Here's the recipe card:
📖 Recipe Card
Matar Paneer Recipe | How to Make Matar Paneer
Ingredients
- 250 gm. Paneer fresh cottage cheese
- 1 cup Peas fresh or frozen
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- ½ inch ginger
- 2 green chillies
- 3 ripe tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. cashews soaked for 30 minutes in warm water
- 2 tsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp. garam masala
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- 1 tsp. cayenne or red chilli powder
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. kasuri methi or dried fenugreek
- 1 tsp. cilantro chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add cumin seeds and allow them to sputter for about a minute.
- Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies.
- Saute for about 10 minutes till golden brown.
- Add tomatoes and turmeric powder and cook for another 6-8 minutes till everything turns mushy.
- Now cool this mix, add soaked cashews and blend to a smooth, creamy paste.
- Heat the pan and put this masala paste back in.
- Add some water and mix.
- Now add garam masala, coriander powder, chilli powder (optional) and crushed kasuri methi with salt. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Heat for a couple of minutes and add peas. Thaw the peas if using frozen ones. Cook on medium heat till peas are cooked through. Takes about 5-7 minutes.
- Now add paneer cubes. Cook for a couple of minutes well till they are heated through.
- Don't cook them too much or they become hard and stringy.
- Taste and adjust for salt and spice.
- Take off the heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve with rotis, parathas or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, I request you to leave a star * rating in the recipe card or in the comments below. Thanks.
Also try this Paneer Bhurji recipe and Khoya Paneer Recipe.
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Bikramjit says
Again yum yum yum.. one of my favourites.
I did make the previous recipe instead of paneer i used chicken and it was yummmyyyyy….
Thank you for the lovely recipes..?
Suzy says
I love paneer. This looks so yummy it's making me hungry.
Rachna says
Thanks Suzy.
Rajlakshmi says
I too prefer the soft Pieces of paneer. This looks so yummm… ? I envy your kids.
Rachna says
hehe Thanks Raj. 🙂
Nabanita Dhar says
I love paneer. My favourite is the paneer mom makes from scratch at home but I make do with the ones you find in stores. Matar paneer I think is one of the easiest dishes to make. I just fry the paneer cubes slightly before putting it in the gravy, I think I got this from mom. You have just given me the idea for tonight’s dinner ?
Shilpa Garg says
The picture looks so inviting, I so want to pick it off the screen.
I dont prefer fried paneer and soft one is what I like in my curry. KG loves making gravies by grinding the sauted onions etc, which tasted better but I am more of a quick fix cook. ?
Food Lover says
yummy matar panner... thank you for this recipe Rachna!!