Matar paneer recipe restaurant style| How to make Mutter Paneer recipe
Mutter Paneer sabji | How to make restaurant style Matar Paneer recipe with detailed step by step photos and videos. Matar Paneer is one of the most popular Paneer recipes prepared from Paneer (cottage cheese) and matar (Green Peas) simmered together in a spicy and delicious gravy made from red ripe tomatoes, onions and dry spices. This recipe is served as a staple food in all types of get-togethers be it a birthday or anniversary party, weddings, or a family dinner, it exists everywhere.
These days, the popular North Indian matar paneer gravy is frequently cooked at homes with basic ingredients that are always available in Indian kitchens. In this recipe blog, I am sharing with you how to make this exotic matar paneer curry. However, there are many variations for making this recipe from making it rich and creamy to more spicy and hot.
Matar paneer recipe is an ideal gravy based curry that goes very well with both rice and Indian flatbreads like roti. I usually serve matar paneer gravy with either Jeera rice, veg pulao or Garlic naan, butter naan.
How to make restaurant style Matar Paneer recipe
Paneer recipes served in restaurants are always made in onion tomato based gravy which gives a nice flavour, aroma and texture to the recipe. For this recipe of matar paneer, I have made flavourful gravy from sauteed onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic. You can even add cashew paste to make it rich and creamy. Another alternative is you can also add thick curd or dahi. But in this recipe, we are making a hot and spicy version of matar paneer.
You can even make this recipe in a Vegan style by making few changes. You can replace Paneer with tofu, and if you are using dahi replace it with soy curd. Cashew paste can be used as it is. You can easily make this VEGAN version of popular matar paneer recipe and enjoy the deliciousness of this curry recipe. The great thing is it can be prepared in less than 30 mins.
To take this recipe to the next level, always use fresh homemade Paneer with fresh and sweet green peas. But if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to make paneer at home, you can always use store-bought one. I would recommend you to at least try any of the paneer recipes with fresh homemade paneer and I am sure you would love it more than anything.
If you are using store-bought paneer for making any paneer recipes, then I have a tip for you. Soak the store bought paneer in hot or warm water for about 20 to 30 minutes and then use it. This way you will get paneer with a soft and smooth texture and it also helps in absorbing the masala.
To give this recipe a final touch, garnish it with finely chopped fresh cilantro or coriander leaves. And for the rich and creamier texture, add a tbsp or two or fresh cream all over the served matar paneer. But in this recipe, I have preferred making it hot and spicy rather rich and creamy.
Matar Paneer Recipe Card
Matar Paneer recipe
Materials
- 250 gms Paneer or Cottage cheese cut in cubes
- 1.5 cup Green peas fresh or frozen,
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp butter optional
- ¼ tsp Haldi/ Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Dhaniya/ Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Lal mirch/ Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- Salt per taste
- 1 cup water or as required
For making paste:
- 1 large Onion sliced or 2 medium onions
- 2 medium Red ripe tomatoes Roughly chopped or sliced
- 2 Green chillies roughly chopped
- 4 - 5 Garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1-inch Ginger roughly chopped
Whole masale:
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Green cardamom pods slightly crushed
- ½ tbsp Kasuri methi
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
Boiling Paneer:
- Heat half a litre of water in a saucepan and add ½ tsp of salt.
- When water starts simmering, add cubes of paneer into the saucepan and let it boil for 10 mins.
- Turn the flame off, and discard the water. Keep the boiled paneer cubes aside.
For making Onion tomato paste:
- In a wide thick bottom pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add slightly crushed cardamom pods, roughly chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute well till the raw smell of garlic goes off.
- Add sliced onions and saute till the onions turn translucent or golden brown in colour.
- When onions are done, add roughly sliced or chopped tomatoes into the pan and saute nicely till it turns soft and mushy.
- When the tomatoes are cooked, add cashew nuts and mix with the onion-tomato mixture.
- Turn the flame off and let the mixture cool down to room temperature.
- Now, transfer the cooked onions and tomatoes into the mixer grinder jar and ground it in a smooth paste.
For making Matar Paneer gravy:
- In the same pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add bay leaf, a tsp full of jeera or cumin seeds in the pan and saute till it splutters.
- Then, lower the flame and add the blended paste of onion and tomato into the pan and mix it nicely.
- Then, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt into the pan and stir it with the whole masale for few seconds.
- Cover and cook till the oil is separated from the mixture and the mixture thickens.
- Remove the lid and add half a cup of water or as required and saute well. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding more water.
- When it starts boiling, add green peas and boiled paneer cubes into the pan and mix it well with the other ingredients.
- After 3 to 4 minutes, add kasuri methi and mix it gently with the gravy without breaking the paneer cubes. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Lastly, add finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and mix all the ingredients nicely and cover and cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the flame.
- Serve hot and creamy matar paneer gravy with garlic naan or jeera rice and accompany it with sliced onions and lemon wedges.
Notes
Step by step Instructions
For making Onion tomato paste:
- In a wide thick bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and add sliced onions. Saute well till the onions turn translucent or golden brown in colour.
- When onions are done, add in roughly chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic into the pan and saute well till the raw smell of garlic goes off.
- Then, add roughly sliced or chopped tomatoes into the pan and saute nicely.
- Add half a tsp or a pinch of salt and saute the tomatoes till it turns soft and mushy. Salt helps in cooking tomatoes faster.
- When the tomatoes are cooked, turn the flame off and let the mixture cool down to room temperature.
- Now, transfer the cooked onions and tomatoes into the mixer grinder jar and ground it in a smooth paste.
For making Matar Paneer gravy:
- In the same pan, heat a tbsp of oil and a tbsp of butter. Butter is optional here, but it enhances the taste of gravy.
- When the butter melts, add a tsp full of jeera or cumin seeds in the pan and saute till it splutters.
- Then add cinnamon stick, bay leaves and slightly crushed cardamom pods into the pan and saute well till you feel a nice aroma.
- Then, lower the flame and add red chilli powder and coriander powder into the pan and stir it with the whole masale for few seconds.
- Immediately, add the blended paste of onion and tomato into the pan and mix it nicely with the red chilli and coriander powder.
- Cover and cook till the oil is separated from the mixture and the mixture thickens.
- Then, add haldi, and salt as per taste and mix well. Saute for some time and again cover and cook for 1 minute.
- Then, add a bowl of green peas into the pan and mix it well with the other ingredients.
- Add half a cup of water or as required and saute well. Cover and cook for again 2 mins.
- Then, add Paneer cubes into the pan and mix it gently with the gravy without breaking the paneer cubes.
- Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Open the lid, mix it gently and add half a tbsp of crushed kasuri methi and garam masala.
- Mix all the ingredients nicely and cover and cook for 2 more minutes and turn off the flame.
- Serve the hot and spicy matar paneer gravy with garlic naan or jeera rice.
Important tips for making paneer tikka masala:
- First and foremost, for making matar paneer, use fresh matar and homemade paneer to get the delicious taste of the curry.
- If you live in a cold region, and you are using frozen peas and frozen paneer, make sure before you proceed with the recipe soak them in hot or warm water for at least 30 mins.
- Most importantly, you can add a smoky flavour to the dish by doing Dungar for gravy. Just burn a small piece of charcoal until it emits smoke and place it in a small bowl or Katori and put the Katori in the centre of the kadhai over the curry. Then, pour a tbsp or 2 of ghee over the charcoal and close the lid of the kadhai.
- This gives a very beautiful smoky essence to the dish as we get in Dhabas.
- To get a more rich and creamy texture, you can also add fresh cream while serving.
- Typically, any paneer recipes taste better when accompanied with sliced raw onions and lemon wedges.
- Finally, Matar Paneer tastes delicious when cooked little spicy and served hot with butter naan, garlic butter naan, jeera rice or even tandoori roti.
Finally, I would like to share my other veg Curry recipes from my blog. This includes Dum aloo recipe, Paneer kadhai recipe, Mushroom kadhai gravy recipe, Matar Jhol recipe, spicy misal pav recipe, matar ke chole recipe, etc. Also, go through our Indian bread section for a variety of rotis like Butter naan recipe, palak paratha recipe, kachori recipes and thalipeeth recipe. In addition to this, do visit my other recipes collection from my blog like Main course collection, Breakfast collection, Desserts collection, etc.
