Paneer Butter Matar Masala — Two Dish in One

Paneer Butter Matar Masala, Image by Author

Paneer Butter Matar Masala, It is not as complicated as the name sounds.

All Indians will surely recognize this dish and some Asians too. But I am not so sure about the people living on other continents unless they have tried some Indian food out of curiosity.

This will be one of the recommended dishes other than Butter Chicken in Indian restaurants if the menu serves North Indian Cuisine.

In fact, it is two separate dishes on the menu;

• Paneer Butter Masala
• Paneer Matar Masala

This Paneer Butter Matar Masala is happened to be two dishes, but I combined it into one. Because I like both Panner and Matar, and somehow dish may look incomplete without each of their presence.

Google search may not give you a pleasant response to this dish because I combined it, but others may not.

So What are all these components in Paneer Butter Matar Masala? Simple iteration is as follows,

Paneer — Cottage Cheese

Butter — Butter

Matar — Green Peas

That’s it. It sounds complicated, but it is a straightforward dish to make and a good companion when it serves with Rice, Naan, Roti, Pratha, and Chapati. Have you heard or tried any of that, of course, except Rice?

If you have not tasted Naan, Roti, Pratha, and Chapati, I am giving you a reason to try out. All Supermarkets carry frozen, ready to serve packets if you are not sure how to make those items.

Fret not; You will fall in love with Paneer Butter Matar Masala once after you try it. It is sweet but tangy and creamy, melts in your mouth.

I believe most of the spices mentioned in the ingredient list are available in your kitchen. Don’t be skeptical when you look at the process and its list; it is so easy to make.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup frozen or fresh Cottage Cheese

1/4 cup Frozen Greenpeas

1 big-size Red or White Onion

1 medium-size Tomato

1 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste

10–12 Full Cashew nuts

1 -2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chili powder (Non-Spicy) — this is to enhance the color.

1 tablespoon butter

2–3 crushed cardamoms

1–2 small Cinnamon sticks

2–3 cloves

1/2 cup cooking cream

2 tablespoon Cooking oil

Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan on a low-medium flame. Meanwhile, chop onion and tomato, Half-open cashew nuts, and set aside.
2. When Pan is hot, Add ginger-garlic paste together with Onion. Add a little salt and sauté them well.
3. When Onion turns translucent, add tomato, sugar, and cashew nut together with half cup water. Let it cook for 2–3 minutes.
4. Add Chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and garam masala. Mix it well and let it cook for another 2–3 minutes. Now off the flame and keep the pan out of the stove to cool down.
5. Meanwhile, cut cottage cheese if its too big, prepare spices, green peas, and butter.
6. When the onion mix is cooled down, Blend the mix with little more cold water until a fine smooth paste. See my picture; there shouldn’t be any lumps or pieces.
7. On the same pan, add little oil and butter. Heat the pan again on low-medium flame.
8. When the Pan is hot, Add cinnamon, Cloves, and cardamoms together; sauté for 1–2 minutes.
9. Now add the blended smooth paste into the pan with a little more water.
10. Now add Kashmiri Red Chili powder to enhance the color and cooking cream. Let the mixture cook for another 2–3 minutes.
11. Finally, add Cottage cheese and Green Peas. Adjust the sweetness and saltiness to your taste.

12. Serve with Rice, Naan, Roti, Pratha, or Chapati of your choice.

    Notes

13. If the dish is too thick, you may adjust the consistency using water or low-fat milk.
14. Reduce the number of cashew nuts if you don’t prefer it too creamy.

Originally published on Medium.