Mutter Paneer

Mutter paneer is basically cooked peas and cottage cheese in spicy gravy. This dish belongs to Indian vegetarian cuisine. It is usually served with rice and Indian breads.

Paneer is a cheese-variety native to India. While most continental cheeses contain egg, paneer caters to vegetarians, who make-up 40% of the Indian population.

Unlike most cheeses, which are used as toppings or filling, paneer is used as a main ingredient in mutter paneer. However, paneer is extremely versatile and can be used in various forms—filling in wraps and dumplings, pizza toppings, and in minced form to make paneer bhurji. This Mutter Paneer recipe tastes great with rice or roti, and the combination makes a great meal for lunch! Make sure you pack the meal in an insulated tiffin box so you can enjoy it warm later.

Health Benefits:

Paneer is extracted from milk and contains glorious quantities of casein—a protein found in milk. It is a low-fat ingredient and works well with people on strict diet plans. Apart from the commonly-known vitamins and mineral, green peas contains rare minerals, such as choline, molybdenum, niacin, zinc, potassium and manganese, to name a few.

Ingredients

paneer: 250 gm

green peas: ¾ cup

green chilies—slit: 1

tomatoes—roughly chopped: 5

onion—roughly chopped: 1

gloves garlic: 2

ginger: 1 inch

cumin seeds: 1 tsp

bay leaf: 1

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Garam masala: ½ tsp

sprigs coriander leaves—chopped: 4-5

white cream—for garnishing: 2 tsp

coriander powder

salt to taste

How To Make Mutter Paneer

1. Blend onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic to smooth puree.
2. In a pan, heat oil over medium flame and splutter cumin seeds and a bay leaf.
3. Sautépaneer until cooked and set aside.
4. Add a little more oil and sautéchilies for 30 seconds.
5. Add the onion-tomato puree and stir till the mixture till the rawness of tomato diminishes.
6. Add peas, let cook partially.
7. Add a little water, (if the mixture has reduced too fast), cover with a lid and let simmer for 1 minute.
8. Add salt, turmeric and garam masala, and cooked paneer and let simmer for 2 minutes.
9. Switch off the stove and garnish with a drizzle of cream and chopped coriander.

Trivia:

• India is the second largest producer of green peas after China.
• Sulfur-based compounds are the reason why people shed tears while chopping onions! To prevent onions from making you cry, soak the onions in water or refrigerate them prior to chopping.