Mattar Paneer (Peas and Paneer in Spiced Tomato Gravy)

By Zainab Shah

Published March 19, 2023

Mattar Paneer (Peas and Paneer in Spiced Tomato Gravy)
Linda Pugliese for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(5,829)
Comments
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Traditionally, roasted and crushed cashews are puréed with cooked onions and tomatoes to make the base for this comforting vegetarian dish. This version skips the hassle of puréeing and instead uses a hefty amount of cashew butter for the same nutty flavor and creamy texture. Red chile powder, ginger and garlic provide the perfect backbone for the sauce. Substitute tofu for paneer if you like; the mildness of either lends itself well to this unexpectedly luxurious dish that is so much more than the sum of its parts.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • ¼cup ghee or neutral oil
  • ½pound paneer or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes and patted very dry
  • 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • ½teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
  • ½teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
  • 1teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¾teaspoon kashmiri or other red chile powder
  • ¼teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 3medium plum tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2tablespoons cashew butter
  • 8ounces frozen (no need to thaw) or fresh green peas (about 1¾ cups)
  • 3tablespoons heavy cream or cashew cream (optional)
  • ½teaspoon garam masala
  • Rice or roti, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

365 calories; 25 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 478 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat ghee in a large frying pan or medium wok on high for 30 seconds, or until it is melted. Lower heat to medium and lightly fry paneer or tofu cubes, turning frequently, until they are golden on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel.

  2. Step 2

    In the same frying pan or wok, add onion, ginger and garlic, and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until onions are translucent.

  3. Step 3

    Add cumin seeds, chile powder and turmeric, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and salt. Add ¾ cup water. Simmer on medium until the mixture thickens slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Lower the heat to medium-low, and stir in cashew butter. Add peas and paneer. Stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes or until it reaches your desired thickness. Top with heavy cream in a swirl, if you like. Sprinkle with garam masala. Serve with rice or roti.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,829 user ratings
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Comments

Erin

Much less work and mess: toss the paneer cubes in melted ghee or butter and salt then roast them on parchment paper lined cookie sheet in a 425 degree oven. Check them every 5-7 minutes and take them out when they’re as firmed and browned as you like

S

The word Mattar means peas. So if you left out the peas and substituted with greens or potatoes then you would not be making mattar paneer but a different dish. That's perfectly okay, but if you do that, just don't call it mattar paneer when there is no actual mattar in the dish. Call it aloo (potatoes) paneer or saag (greens) paneer, or (ingredient) paneer as the case may be.

Sabena Singh

I sauté curry leaves first and then green chilies. Then I add diced onions, garlic and ginger pastes. Sauté till golden. Add cumin, coriander, red chili powder, haldi (turmeric) and salt. Then I add paneer which may or may not be fried first. Sauté and then add either 1/2 cup water or milk, cover and cook gently. Then I add baby peas. I often add a sprinkling of fenugreek for added flavor. Add coriander leaves and the dish is ready.

Mesalily

This requires quite a bit of tweeking. Only after adding coriander, fenugreek and curry leaves did this end up quite tasty.

MCDC

Am I the only one who had difficulty with this recipe? I'm a good cook, and this came out thick (I added additional water to thin) and tasting way too much like cashew butter instead of mattar paneer. I disliked it. Don't others have a strong taste of cashew butter? It's just not the same.

Erin Eich

Excellent! Erin Em requests this enter regular rotation as a slop that will make her cry. Modifications: Used most of a can of whole tomatoes, would use the whole thing next time. Closer to 2tsp grated garlic and ginger. Added the garam masala with the other spices to bloom in oil because it didn't make any sense to me to add it at the end; had no issues with blandness. Baked paneer on parchment for 10min @ 450°F flipping halfway through. No cashew butter because we didn't have it. I don't really understand the proportions and would increase the paneer to match the tomatoes to get some more food out of this, we got maybe 3-3.5. Plenty of peas though.

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