Mutter paneer

Mutter paneer is a delightful Indian curry that's made with green peas and paneer, which is Indian cottage cheese. This dish has a creamy base made from onions, tomatoes, cashews, spices & herbs. It's really popular in Northern Indian cooking, where you can find lots of tasty twists. Let's dive into this easy & yummy family recipe for mutter paneer!

Ingredients

• Paneer: This soft and fresh cheese is made from dairy milk. You can use ricotta cheese instead, but remember that ricotta may be salty! Drain it well before using.
• Vegetables: You’ll need green peas (called matar), a few ripe red tomatoes, one onion (medium or large), and some green chilies for spice.
• Cashews: They add creaminess to the masala paste. If you don’t have cashews, almonds work too!
• Spices & herbs: For this recipe, gather cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, salt, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves & seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom pods, cloves, & some cinnamon.

How to Make Masala Paste

1. Start by gathering all your masala ingredients in a blender or grinder:

• ½ cup chopped onions
• ¾ to 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1 tsp chopped ginger (or you can use ¼ tsp of ground ginger)
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 10-12 cashews
• 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 1 tsp chopped green chilies or serrano peppers
• 4-5 black peppercorns
• 1 inch of cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp of coriander seeds (or replace with ground coriander)
• 1 green cardamom pod (optional)
• 2 cloves

2. Blend it all into a fine paste! If it gets too thick, don’t worry—add a bit of water (2-3 tablespoons) to get a creamy texture. Set it aside once it’s smooth.

(Tip: There shouldn’t be any bits of cashews left.)

3. In a pressure cooker or pot (about 2 liters), heat up 3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat until it's hot. Lower the heat slightly and toss in ½ teaspoon cumin seeds until they pop nicely.

4. Now mix in your ground masala paste! Stir it well.

5. Sauté the mixture on low heat for about 10-12 minutes.

Don’t forget to add: 

¼ tsp turmeric powder
Suggestions for Serving

 ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or sweet paprika (cayenne works too!)

 ¼ to ½ tsp garam masala powder (or curry powder if you prefer!)

6. Toss in 1 cup of rinsed green peas and mix again!

7. Time to add 1 to 1.25 cups water along with some salt; stir everything together.

8. Now you’ll want to pressure cook those peas till they’re soft! Cover it tightly and cook for about 9-10 minutes or let out 2-3 whistles on medium to high heat.

9. After that, gently mix in the paneer cubes and simmer on low heat until they're warmed up—don’t overdo it; otherwise the paneer gets hard.

10. Voila! Your mutter paneer is ready to enjoy! Garnish with some chopped cilantro & serve hot or warm.

11. After sautéing the masala paste earlier, make sure you add all your dry spices together at once and sauté them for just a minute to blend those flavors!

Mutter paneer tastes amazing with Indian flatbreads like roti, paratha & naan! Or serve it alongside steaming basmati rice or jeera rice for an extra special meal!

Have a Healthy food🍲🍲!

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