Matar Paneer
Paneer and peas in a spiced tomato gravy.
Ingredients
- 250 g Paneer
- 200 g Frozen peas
- 1 Onion
- 3 Tomato
- 1 Ginger
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 240 g Basmati rice
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Grate the onion.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the grated onion and fry, stirring often, until golden brown.
- While the onion fries: grate the ginger and garlic.
- While the onion fries: grate the tomatoes.
- While the onion fries: cube the paneer into bite-sized pieces.
- Stir in the ginger-garlic, tomato, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until the mixture cooks down into a thick masala and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
- Add the peas, salt, and a cup of water. Simmer until the peas are tender and the gravy has thickened, then fold in the paneer and warm through.
- Finish with garam masala off heat.
- Serve with roti or rice.
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About Matar Paneer
Matar paneer is a beloved North Indian vegetarian main pairing paneer, India's fresh non-melting cheese, with sweet green peas in a spiced tomato gravy. It sits among the classic restaurant-style curries but is entirely at home on a weeknight, offering soft cubes of mild paneer and tender peas suspended in a masala that's warm with cumin, turmeric and garam masala. The flavor is gently tangy from the tomato and rounded rather than fiery, letting the cheese and peas stay the stars.
The technique here leans on grated aromatics — grated onion, tomato, ginger and garlic all break down quickly into a smooth, cohesive masala, and the recipe cleverly stacks the grating and cubing tasks while the onion fries so nothing stalls the pace. Cooking the masala until the oil separates at the edges is the traditional cue that the base is properly done and no longer raw. Lighter than its cream-heavy cousins and ready in about thirty minutes, matar paneer is served with roti, naan or rice, and makes a comforting, protein-rich centerpiece for a vegetarian meal.
Matar Paneer: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Matar Paneer?
A serving has about 585 calories — 19.9g protein, 65.8g carbs, 26.9g fat, 4.9g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Matar Paneer gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Matar Paneer has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Matar Paneer dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Paneer. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How many servings does Matar Paneer make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.