Mattar Paneer ( Indian Cottage cheese with Green Peas)

Mattar Paneer needs no special introduction. Its a very commonly served North-Indian vegetarian dish at most Indian restaurants and definitely a favorite among almost everyone. At my house everyone loves Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese). Several people make their own Paneer at home, but I haven't tried that yet, so I used store-bought Paneer.

I initially thought of making a Paneer dish on it own, but the health conscious part of me finally decided to add Green peas , but guess what, it turned out even better !! I'm so proud of myself (secretly) :-)

I have adapted this recipe from Showmethecurry.com from their video on Youtube. But I have made a few changes as per my requirement.

Mattar Paneer Recipe
You'll need
Paneer (cottage cheese) - 14oz pack,cut into small cubes
Green Peas - 1 cup (frozen or fresh)
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 3-4 medium sized (pureed/crushed)
Canola oil - 2 tbsp
Paprika - 2  tsp (Can substitue instead with 1tsp red chilli powder and 1tsp paprika for spice and color)
Corriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1.5 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Low-Fat Evaporated milk - 1 cup ( can also use Heavy cream instead )
Salt - to taste

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until it starts turning mild brown.
2. Now add the pureed or crushed tomato and cook it until the water content has drained off and the oil starts showing.
3. Add the spices - Paprika, Corriander powder and garam masala and saute for 2 mins.
4. Add the Green Peas, 1cup water and salt and cover and cook for 3-4mins (or until peas become soft)
5. Now add the cubed paneer and mix well and cook again for 2-3 mins on medium heat. (the paneer cooks very fast and over cooking can make it either very hard or mashed up)
6. If more gravy is required you can add more water and cook.
7. Lastly add the evaporated milk - this provides a nice creamy texture and also elevates the taste of the dish (For a richer and creamier version you can use a cup of Heavy cream )
8. On low heat, let the dish simmer for few more minutes. Check salt and spice levels once more and then take it off the stove.

Mattar and Paneer makes a perfect combination and I prepared a creamy tomato gravy and all we could do was to just keep dipping our naan into the luscious gravy and eat and eat and you won't realise how much you've eaten until you've stuffed yourself up. Rice, Roti or even Bread goes well with this dish. So enjoy!! 

-Manju