Matter Paneer Made Simple
30 minutes or fewer Nidhi Chanani, a lifelong vegetarian, streamlined her mothers matter paneer recipe to make a meal her friends love. My mothers version takes twice as long and uses lots of heavy cream and ghee [clarified butter], she says. Paneer is a mild, fresh cheese…
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30 minutes or fewer
Nidhi Chanani, a lifelong vegetarian, streamlined her mothers matter paneer recipe to make a meal her friends love. My mothers version takes twice as long and uses lots of heavy cream and ghee [clarified butter], she says. Paneer is a mild, fresh cheese used in Indian stews. To make this recipe vegan, Nidhi omits the sour cream, uses cubed tofu instead of paneer and cooks the stew 10 to 15 minutes more. 2nd Place, 2006 recipe contest.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp. whole brown mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
- 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. garam masala
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas, thawed
- 3 Tbs. reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- 1 8-oz. pkg. paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes
Preparation
Purée onion in food processor.
Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin and bay leaf. Cook 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until browned. Stir in tomato sauce, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, salt and paprika. Simmer 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add up to 1/2 cup water if sauce is too thick.
Stir in peas, sour cream and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes, or until peas are heated through.
Fold in paneer, and cook 3 minutes more. Remove bay leaf, and serve hot with basmati rice or naan bread.
Nutrition Information
- Calories 244
- Carbohydrate Content 17 g
- Cholesterol Content 43 mg
- Fat Content 14 g
- Fiber Content 4 g
- Protein Content 13 g
- Saturated Fat Content 7 g
- Sodium Content 754 mg
- Sugar Content 8 g