Mutter Paneer By Smitha Tharayil

The winning dish for April’s cover photo competition. Well done Smitha and Thankyou for sharing your mums recipe

INGREDIENTS

Paneer 240gm (cut into cubes)

Onion(large) 1

Ginger 1/2 inch

Garlic 2 cloves

Tomato (medium) 1

Tomato paste 1tsp

Green chillies (according to your preffered spice level) 2-3

Frozen peas 1 cup

Chopped coriander for garnish.

Dry Masalas-

Cumin seeds 1tsp

Kasoori methi 1tsp

Kashmiri chilli pwd 1tsp

Coriander pwd 1/2 tsp

Cumin pwd 1/2 tsp

Honey/Brown sugar 1-2 tsp

(to balance the masala and the tartness of tomatoe)

Salt to taste

Milk/cream 2tbsp

Water 1cup

Method

1.Finely chop the onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, tomato and keep aside.

2.Heat oil in a deep saucepan/kadai, add cumin seeds and let them splutter to a golden brown colour.

3.Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and saute for a couple of min. Add 1/2 tsp of salt to the pan and saute till the onions are golden.

4.Add all the dry masalas along with kasoori methi and saute for a couple of min till the masalas loose the raw smell.

5.Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, honey/brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook till 10-12 min on medium flame(add more water if needed, keep an eye on the masala, as it tends to burn very easily at this point)

6.Add the paneer, peas and 1/2 cup water to the masala, mix well and cook on low till the paneer is soft and the oil seperates from the masala. (usually takes around 15 min)

7.Add milk/cream, adjust the seasoning and reduce the sauce till a further 5-6min.

8.Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rotis or steam rice.