Indian Matar Paneer (Paneer Cheese with Green Peas)

Paneer is a firm Indian Cheese, made by curdling hot milk with lemon juice or vinegar, then straining through muslin, rinsing off in water and pressing into rectangular blocks. It has the unusual properties of being suitable for frying and it does not melt when cooked, but stays in soft, neat little chunks.


Matar Panner is one of my favourite Indian vegetarian dish. I cook it very often and sometimes I replace the peas with spinach. It's not a difficult recipe and do try out this wonderful exotic vegetarian dish.

Indian Matar Paneer (Paneer Cheese with Green Peas) Recipe

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Coast to Coast)

Serves 4

Ingredients

275 - 350 g (10 - 12 oz) Paneer

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 1/2 cm (1") piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 medium-hot green chillies, seeded and chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped

350 g (12 oz) fresh or frozen peas, 900 g (2 lb) in the pod

1 small bunch coriander, roughly chopped

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Rice or naan bread, to serve

Method

1. Cut the paneer into 2 1/2 cm (1-inch) pieces.
   

   

2. Heat half of the oil in a large shallow pan, add the paneer and fry gently until lightly golden on all sides. Lift onto a plate and set aside.
   

   

3. Add the rest of the oil and the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper to the pan and fry gently until the onion is soft but not browned.
4. Add the tomatoes, peas, 3/4 tsp salt and 2 tbsp of water and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the paneer and cook gently for another 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the coriander and sprinkle with a little black pepper to garnish. Serve with rice or some warm naan bread.