Paneer Peas Masala | Mutter Paneer ~ Side Dish for Chapati

When you hit on a combination that works out wonders, I am sure we end up using that combination in as many variations as we can come up with! That's true with Peas and Paneer. You can never go wrong with combining these two together for a gourmet gravy and be sure to win over your guests. 

Couple of decades back, when one wanted to host a party, they made sure there planned a proper vegetarian and a non vegetarian dishes, keeping in mind the crowd pleasers. If I remember right, it used to be Channa Masala with Pooris. Be it lunch or dinner, these two found it's way. However ever since Paneer took the crowd by storm, there is nothing but paneer in any party you attend or host yourself. One can't go wrong in selecting Paneer. 

At one point, I almost wondered if all the dishes ended up being made with paneer. So much so that I decided I had to plan a menu with this star. Anyway coming back to our recent parties, that I have ended up clicking pictures and sharing the menus, I noticed we were back to the spot of making sure we had the Paneer for the vegetarians. And let me confess all of them were hit. 

So even though I have three or is it four, versions of Paneer with Peas or other ingredients, it was so well received.

The other versions be it Mutter Paneer Masala, Matter Paneer or Mater Paneer Masala, each has been a different yet appealing in it's own standards!

Ingredients Needed:

Paneer - 250 gms
Peas - 1 cup
Onions - 2 medium
Tomato puree - 2 cups
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Cashew paste from 10 whole ones
Malai - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder -1 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Curds/Yogurt - 2 tbsps
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Butter - 1 tsp

How to make the gravy

Have Homemade Paneer ready. Since this is homemade you don't need to saute in butter. If store bought, cube and saute in butter.

Soak cashews in hot water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Blanch the fresh peas and keep it ready.

Heat a non stick pan with oil, saute the onions till they turn colour, then add ginger garlic paste.

Next add the tomato puree, fresh peas, cook for few mins in sim. then add cashew paste, blended malai, and all the spices. Simmer till the gravy gets well cooked. This takes about 10 mins.

Then add the beaten curds and mix well. Add a cup of water and bring to boil. Add the paneer at this time and simmer for 5 - 7 mins.

Finally add the butter and remove, you can garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with Naans or chapatis.

This was one of the main dish served for the vegetarians in a party and surely disappeared before I could take a proper picture!

Other Paneer Recipes

Aloo Gobi ki Sabzi | Potato Cauliflower Dry Curry | Side Dish for Chapati

For a simple dish this post surely stayed for a while in draft. I have been planning to write on this since a week and never came around doing that. Imagine, on the first of this year, I thought I should carefully wade through each day, making sure I write down what I want and also make sure I complete it. Guess what, the days have simply flown! Just like so many days before, just like the days that will come. Each day as it comes, makes me want to grab and make the best as much as I can, even as I sit down thinking about it, the time simply keeps matching forward.

It's the same grind again. waking up, rushing through, deciding what to make. Then the mad rush to make sure the bus is not missed. Next is the rush to make sure I am on time to work. Then I never know how the time passes off so quickly, it's time to return. Of course you can imagine how it would be when one lands at home and have three hungry kids waiting. Yes, it's soon bed time and you hurriedly get them to sleep. Is this the pattern you go through too? Cos I get tired just thinking through this. Again if I am not doing and being so packed like this, what will I do?

That's a question that has no answer, with the half yearly exam completed, we are marching towards to the annual exams and soon it will be summer vacation! Konda just declared she wants to learn Carnatic music. Because her favorite singer also learnt Carnatic music before being launched. We have been after her for so many years for these classes, now she comes up with this plan herself. I am glad she has mentioned her aim to become an archaeologist again. She was fascinated by Jackie Chan cartoons some years back. I am not really sure of her current passion. I am sure she will update me soon as soon as she decides. 

While that goes on in my regular life, I am sure you will enjoy reading this simple sabji made with Aloo and Cauliflower. 

Aloo Gobi Sabji

Ingredients Needed:

Gobi - 1/2 Kg
Potato - 4 medium
Onions - 2 medium
Green Chilies - 4 long
Tomato - 1 medium
Bay leaf - 1 large
Garlic - 2 big cloves
Curry powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves handful chopped

How to make the sabji

Wash and trim the cauliflower, soak in salted hot water with lid covered for 10 mins. Rinse in water again. And drain, keep aside.

Peel and chop the potatoes as juliennes.

Heat a non stick pan with oil. Saute the bay leaf and finely chopped garlic. Then add onions julienne, saute on high and let the onions sweat.Add chopped chilies, saute well along with salt.

Next add the potatoes and cover with lid. Then add the turmeric powder, cook in simmer for 5 mins, then add tomatoes and combine everything well. Continue cooking with lid covered. This takes about another 5 mins for the potatoes to soften.

Once the aloo gets soft, add the drained cauliflower, mix everything well. Add the curry powder and cover again.

There is no need to add water, the moisture that comes from the covered vegetables is enough to soften the vegetables.

Finally add chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with rotis.

Notes:

Instead of curry powder, you can simply add chili powder, coriander powder and a dash of garam masala.

Can add water if you want a liquid gravy.

Rajma Chawal Recipe ~ Step by Step

There are certainly some recipes that kindle your memories. Rajma has always been that for me. Be it my Gujju friend, whose Mom used to make delicious Rajma or my neighbour who used to make either Rajma or Channa with Chawal. Memories of that taste will forever remain fresh. Maybe I have tried it or not, yet the taste remains fresh and the quest till on.

Infact so much so that I have got in touch with both those friends of mine and verified the recipe. Yet the memory is always strong. Maybe it's got to do with what I call the first time experience. Anyway that happens for the first remains so fresh and unsurpassed in my minds right, same way the taste of Rajma chawal will always be fresh.

Not to say this didn't turn out great. It was so delicious. Maybe I should have remembered to make the rice in rice cooker than the pressure cooker. But then I was running for the Mela and couldn't take a chance.

Rajma Chawal 

Ingredients Needed

Rajma - 1 cup
Bay leaf - 2 small
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil few drops

For the paste:
Onion - 1 big
Garlic - 2 big cloves
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Green chillies - 2 long
Coriander - few leaves

For the gravy

Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Tomato, puree - 1 big
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

How to make Rajma

Soak a cup of beans over night. Change water couple of times. In a pressure cook, transfer the beans, add twice the amount of water along with salt, bay leaf and a few drops of oil. Pressure cook for 4 -5 whistles or till the beans are soft. Allow for the pressure to subside.

Meanwhile for the gravy, grind to a coarse paste all the ingredients for the paste, except tomato.

Wash and puree the tomato.

Heat a non stick pan, add butter and oil, then add cumin powder, saute for a min, then add the ground paste. Saute till the oil leaves the masala

Next add the tomato puree, salt and turmeric. Simmer and let cook it cook for few mins.

Now add Coriander powder, red chilli powder. After few mins, add the cooked beans and combine everything well. Add water and bring to boil. When the gravy thickens, finally add the garam masala and remove.

It may take about 10 mins or so for the gravy to thicken

 

For the Rice:

Rice - 1 cup

Jeera - 1 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

Salt to taste

Ghee - 1/2 tsp

Water - 2 cups

Wash and soak the rice for 10 mins. 

In a pressure cooker take all the ingredients and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Sending this to my 30 Minutes Meal Mela

Tamarind Chutney for Chat | Imli Ki Chutney | Indian Tamarind Sauce

When Konda wanted to take tamarind water for her school weekly home science class, I asked her why she wanted that. She said they were going to be Bhel and she was supposed to bring along Tamarind water. I asked if they were going to cook during the class. She said they were going to just mix everything and eat. I told that just tamarind water wouldn't do for the Bhel, it has to be a chutney. For which she said, "You are the cook, I don't know how it is to be made." 

That reminded me that I am yet to share the typical Tamarind chutney that gets made for the Chaat dishes. This Tamarind Chutney can be made ahead and be preserved for over a week when refrigerated.

Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients Needed:

Tamarind - 1 cup loosely packed
Jaggary - 3/4 cup
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp
Black Salt / Kala Namak - 2 pinches
Sugar - 2 tsp

How to make the Tamarind chutney

Wash and soak the tamarind in water for about 15 mins for it to become soft. Extract pulp from it.

Likewise soak the jaggary and remove the impurities.

In a pan, take the tamarind water and bring to boil. Continue boiling till it becomes little thick. Add the jaggary water and continue cooking.

When the liquid is quite thick, add the red chili powder. It will start to boil over.

Simmer and add the cumin powder, Kala Namak, sugar and chat masala.

Sim for another 10 mins and check if the chutney is thick enough. It should not be thin and dropping, but rather thick to touch.

When done, cool and preserve.

Imli Ki Chutney

You can use this chutney with Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, and other chat dishes.

For Pani Puri, you can make it very thin water.

Mattar Paneer Recipe 3 | Peas Paneer Masala

When it comes to making quick gravies for Rotis as side dish, there is nothing more simpler than making with Mattar and Paneer. Both these are surely a hit combination and can be served with almost any Indian Bread. Sometimes I remember making a sandwich with this filling as well. 

I have already posted two versions of mattar paneer, one with nuts and one without tomato. Today's version is the most common and the simplest. I wonder how I have not shared this under quick 30 mins cooking. Making about six to eight chapatis doesn't take that much time. So this is one of those quick side dishes that you can make when you come back home in the evenings.

Mattar Paneer

I normally make this for chapatis, but this tastes so much better with ghee rice or vegetable fried rice. I made this with vegetable fried rice

Mattar Paneer

Ingredients Needed:

Paneer - 1 cup
Fresh Peas - 1 cup
Onions - 1 medium
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Roasted cumin powder -1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves handful.

How to make Mattar Paneer

Wash and keep the peas aside.

If you are using store bought paneer, stir in a tsp of ghee and soak in hot water.

If you are using homemade paneer, you can simply cut into cubes and saute them in ghee.

Heat a non stick pan with oil, saute finely chopped onions. When they start turning colour, add ginger garlic paste. Cook till the raw smell leaves.

Now add the tomato puree, cook till the tomato is done. Add the spice powders and saute well. Add the fresh peas and saute well.

Add a cup of water and bring to boil. Then add the roasted paneer and simmer for 5 - 7 mins.

Finally just before switching off, add garam masala and coriander leaves.

Serve it with Chapatis