Creamy Matar Paneer

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I am a full time curry lover! Being an Indian and coming from a food worshipping family means that I have had a wide variety of curries and they remain my forever favourite meal. Most of the curries that I eat would be vegetarian, and the bold flavours actually will not let you miss meat!

For the vegetarians in India, the most popular curry option would be paneer or cottage cheese, this is a fresh, non melting cheese made from curdling milk (usually cow milk). The milk is warmed and treated with food acid such as lemon or vinegar. After the addition of the acid, the curds get separated and on pressing these curds you get paneer.

Paneer would be considered a dish for special occasions or weekend meals and could be used in curries, sabzis, biryanis, paranthas and many more variations. The taste of paneer is very mild, and as the cheese is non salted, it works beautifully with rich curries. 

This creamy paneer is a hit recipe that is inspired by a similar recipe that my mom makes. It is definitely a super rich recipe and hence can work beautifully on a dinner table for a party.

For this recipe (serves 2) you will need:

Ghee: 1 tbsp

Cloves: 4

Star anise: 1

Cinnamon: 1 inch stick

Green cardamon: 2

Onions: 2 - finely chopped

Garlic: 3 cloves - finely chopped

Brown sugar: 1tsp

Tomatoes: 3 chopped

Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Chaat masala: 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder: 1tsp

Salt, pepper: accoding to taste

Cream: 1/2 cup

Milk: 1/2 cup

Paneer: 100 gm cubed

Peas: 1/2 cup

Method:

Pour ghee in a pot on medium heat and add in cloves, star anise, cinnamom and cardamom. Roast until fragrant.

Add the onions, garlic and the brown sugar to aid caramalization. Saute until the onions are nicely browned.

Add the tomatoes, coriander powder, garam masala, chaat masala, chilli powder and season as per taste with salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are roasted and reduced.

Add in the cream and milk and mix well. Bring to a light boil and reduce heat again.

Finally, add in the paneer and peas and cook for around 5-10 minutes for the flavour to be imbibed.

Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala on top and serve hot with fresh chapatis or rice.

Enjoy!