Matar Paneer

We love paneer at home and this is one of the many ways we enjoy it. I made Paneer at home this time using 2% milk so that made it a tad healthier than store-bought ones. Also, once I cut them I froze them individually on trays (for about 30 mins) before putting them in a ziploc bag so it makes it easier to take out the exact no. of cubes I want each time without having to worry about them sticking together... :)

I remembered Seema's tip about adding yoghurt in her version and since I had some sour cream on hand added that towards the end and it resulted in a creamy curry. Thank you Seema.

MATAR (Mutter) PANEER

Ingredients:

Paneer - 200 gm (cubed)

Peas - 3/4 cup (I used frozen)

Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Kasuri Methi - about 1/2 tsp, crushed between your fingers

Salt, to taste

Sour Cream - 1 to 2 tbsp (optional)

Oil - 2 to 3 tsp

Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1/2 tsp

To Grind:

Onion - 1, chopped into big pieces

Tomato - 1, chopped into big pieces

Garlic - 5 cloves,

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Cilantro - a few stalks

Method:

1) Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and saute the onion, garlic and ginger till the onions brown a bit. Then add the tomatoes and cilantro and cook with a pinch of salt till it softens. Grind this to a paste in the mixie once it has cooled down a bit.

2) Pan fry the paneer cubes on either side till light brown. I sprinkle some salt after spraying the pan with oil before adding the paneer.

3) Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add jeera seeds, then add the ground paste along with all the masala powders and let this cook well with frequent stirring.

4) After about 5 minutes, add a cup of water to this paste and let it come to a boil. Add the paneer pieces and peas and allow to simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes.

5) Now add the crushed Kasuri methi and stir in the sourcream. Delicious Matar Paneer is now ready to serve. Enjoy with naans or chapathis.