About Matar Paneer

Matar Paneer is a very famous dish originated from North India which is not only a favorite of Indians but has become popular all over the world. So in today’s blog, we will tell you how to make Easy Matar Paneer recipe step by step, so that you can easily make Matar Paneer at home in restaurant style. To make Matar Paneer, you have to take special care of some things so that your Matar Paneer becomes absolutely perfect.

The most important thing is that you have to use absolutely fresh paneer to make Matar Paneer recipe, if you do not find fresh paneer available in the market, then you can make fresh paneer at home. Matar paneer is mixed with peas and cooked with tomato onion gravy. Indian spices are used in the gravy like coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder. In the last paneer pieces, green peas and cream are mixed. Whether you are a meat lover or a vegetarian, you will love this Matar Paneer recipe. Matar paneer is usually served with naan bread or rice.

The taste of Matar Paneer is spicy and very creamy with a slight sweetness. But you can make Matar Paneer less spicy and less creamy according to your taste. You can also use other vegetables like potato, carrot, or capsicum to make the dish more nutritious and tasty.

In the next blog, I will share with you how you can make Matar less creamy or without using cream. You can make matar paneer for lunch and dinner on any occasion. Your family will like it very much, so try this Matar Paneer recipe once and do tell us in the comments that how did you like this recipe.

Contents hide

1 About Matar Paneer

2 Ingredients in matar paneer

2.1 How To Make Paneer at Home (Homemade Paneer)

2.1.1 Ingredients

2.1.1.1 Steps to make homemade paneer

2.2 Matar Paneer Step By Step With Pictures

2.2.1 Tips and Tricks To Make A Perfect Matar Paneer Recipe

2.2.1.1 FAQ

2.2.1.1.1 Is matar paneer healthy?

2.2.1.1.2 Which masala is best for matar paneer?

2.2.1.1.3 Should I fry or boil paneer?

2.2.1.1.4 Which milk is preferred for paneer?

2.2.1.2 Conclusion

2.2.1.2.1 Recipe card

3 Matar Paneer Recipe

3.1 Ingredients

3.2 Instructions

Read More – Matar Paneer Recipe Without Cream

Ingredients in matar paneer

Oil/Ghee : 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Onion – 1 (small, finely chopped)
Red Chili Powder – 3/4 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi – 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
Fennel Powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Coriander Leaves – 3 tbsp (finely chopped)
Tomato Puree / Ketchup – 1 tbsp
Cream – 2 tbsp
Ginger Juliennes – 1
Green Chili Slits – 2
Matar / Peas – 1 cup (parboiled)
Paneer – 300g (cubed)
Garam Masala – 1/4 tsp
For Gravy :
Oil – 2 tbsp
Cashewnuts – 1/4 cup
Onions – 2 (roughly chopped)
Salt – as per taste
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Tomatoes – 5 (roughly chopped)

How To Make Paneer at Home (Homemade Paneer)

If you use homemade fresh paneer, your Matar Paneer recipe will be even tastier. It is very easy to make paneer at home. You just have to follow some methods. First of all, you have to pay special attention to the fact that whenever you make paneer, you have to take full fat milk. Paneer is not made from low fat milk. It would be better if you use the full fat milk of buffalo, this paneer will be very perfect.

Ingredients

1 litre full fat milk
1 lemon juice (4 tablespoon )
1/4 cup water

Steps to make homemade paneer

To make paneer, first of all we will take a non-stick pan and put it on the gas. You can also take a steel pan.
Turn on the gas and some water to the pan about 2 spoons so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add milk as soon as the pan becomes hot. You have to take full fat milk, that is, such milk in which cream is good.
Keep the gas flame medium and heat the milk till it comes to a boil.
Make sure to keep stirring the milk in between, otherwise the milk may burn from the bottom. Turn off the gas as soon as the milk starts boiling.
Take lemon juice in a bowl and mix some water in it. Instead of lemon, you can also take vinegar, but mix water in vinegar and pour it.
Now add lemon juice little by little to the milk and keep stirring.
You have to add lemon juice till the milk curdles.
Keep stirring the milk with a ladle so that the milk curdles well.
Now the milk has curdled well, now mix cold water, it is necessary to do this, otherwise your paneer will not be good.
Put the muslin cloth or man’s handkerchief on the strainer and keep the strainer on the bowl to collect the whey.
Strain curdled milk through the cloth to separate the milk solids and whey.
Do not discard this nutritious whey, use the whey while making chapati dough, in soup as a stock using whey.
wash the milk solids under running cold water, so all the sourness from the lemon juice will wash away. Also, as it cools down, it stops further cooking and prevents it from becoming chewy.
Now gather the edges of the cloth, tie and twist, and press lightly to remove all the moisture.
Place this on a plate (that has holes in it) and press, spread lightly.
Place another plate on top to get the flat top surface. And then put some weight (books, rice or beans filled jar or heavy mortar pestle) on top. Let it set under the weight for 1 hour.
Now you have a block of paneer ready.
Slice them evenly and cut into paneer cubes.

Matar Paneer Step By Step With Pictures

For Gravy :

In a hot pan, add in the oil & as it gets hot, add in the cashewnuts and roast them for a minute or two.

2. Add in the roughly chopped onions and the salt as per taste and cook the onions until golden.

3. After the onions get golden, add in the ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.

Chopped tomatoes goes in next, and cook until they get mushy.

Turn off the flame, let it cool down, then blend to a smooth paste.

For finishing the sabzi :

In a kadhai/pan, add in the oil and after it gets hot, goes in the jeera/cumin seeds.

After they sizzle, add the onions and cook for a minute.

Lower the flame, and add the spices – red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, kasoori methi, fennel powder, turmeric powder and salt. Roast the spices for 2-3 minutes in low flame.

Add in the finely chopped coriander leaves and cook them for a minute.

Then goes the gravy paste and cook for 5 minutes .

Then add tomato ketchup & cream & stir around.

Peas, Ginger, Green Chili go in next, along with some water to adjust the consistency, cook them out for a couple minutes.

Then add in the cubes of paneer.

Finally, sprinkle in a touch of garam masala & turn the flame off.

Serve this Matar Paneer with your favorite rice or bread dish 🙂

Tips and Tricks To Make A Perfect Matar Paneer Recipe

If your paneer becomes hard, then boil the paneer for 2 minutes and then use it, it will make the paneer soft.
In matar paneer, you can also use pumpkin seeds instead of cashews to thicken the gravy.
If you do not care about calories, then you can also use paneer after frying it.
If using fresh peas in Matar Paneer, first boil the peas in salt water for 5 minutes and then use them in Matar Paneer dishes.
It is very important to use fresh coriander in matar paneer recipe as fresh coriander enhances the taste of matar paneer.
Use only freshly ripe red tomatoes in Matar Paneer.

FAQ

Is matar paneer healthy?

Matar Paneer is a very healthy dish which is rich in proteins and vitamins. Paneer is a very good source of protein. Proteins are required to maintain the muscles in our body. Peas are also high in fiber, which helps move food through your gut for easier digestion. Peas are packed with antioxidants, which help build your immune system.

If you use healthy oil in Matar Paneer and make it without using cashews and cream, then Matar Paneer will be a very healthy dish in every way. Try to use homemade paneer, which will be made in a very clean way and will also be healthy.

Which masala is best for matar paneer?

By the way, different types of spices are available in the market to make Matar Paneer, but I would advise you to make Matar Paneer at home using minimum spices. Mainly coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and very important garam masala powder are used in Matar Paneer. Apart from this, you do not need to add any other spices. Using too much spice spoils the taste of Matar Paneer.

Should I fry or boil paneer?

If your paneer is absolutely soft then neither you need to fry nor boil it, you can simply use it in dishes. And if your paneer is a bit hard then you can boil it for 1 minute. Or you can also steam the paneer, with the method of double boiler, the paneer becomes softer than this. But never fry paneer because frying paneer becomes hard and eating fried paneer increases the amount of calories.

Which milk is preferred for paneer?

Both cow and buffalo milk are used to make paneer. But it is best to use full fat cream milk for making paneer. You can use any milk but it must be full fat cream. If you want to make good quality paneer, then you should use buffalo milk.

Conclusion

After making this Matar Paneer , you will not need to go to the restaurant to eat Matar Paneer. Do try this easy Matar Paneer recipe and make and feed your family and friends and get compliments. If you like this recipe then do like and share this blog. If you have any question or suggestion, then you can definitely ask by commenting.

Recipe card