North Indian
Matar Paneer
Matar Paneer is North Indian home cooking, eaten at lunch and dinner. On the plate it is the dish at the centre. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.
Ingredients
- 14 oz paneer
- 2 cups green peas
- 2 onions
- 3 tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1.5 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 4 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp salt
How to cook it
- Heat 1 tbsp oil and lightly brown the cubed paneer on the edges, then set it aside.
- In the same pan, let the cumin sizzle in the remaining oil, then cook the onion, garlic, and ginger until golden, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in the turmeric, coriander, and chili powder, then add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the oil separates, about 8 minutes.
- Add the peas, salt, and a cup of water and simmer until the peas are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Fold in the paneer and garam masala and simmer gently for 5 minutes so it soaks up the gravy.
- Finish with cilantro and serve hot with roti or rice.
Serve it with
A North Indian dinner is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Matar Paneer, read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.
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The cooked vegetable
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What it is eaten with
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The sharp little thing
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Something cool and fresh
Safe at your table
Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand, so the absences below are as deliberate as the presences. Matar Paneer carries dairy. It is free of the remaining 9 allergens on that list.
| Allergen | In this dish | Cook this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | No | |
| Tree nuts | No | |
| Dairy | Yes | Masala Omelette |
| Gluten | No | |
| Shellfish | No | |
| Eggs | No | |
| Soy | No | |
| Fish | No | |
| Sesame | No | |
| Coconut | No |
These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.
What it brings to the plate
Bands, not numbers. Dinejot does not weigh anybody's food, so it says light, moderate or hearty and stops there. This dish was read and set by hand.
- Calorie band
- Hearty
- Protein
- High
- Protein quality
- Complete
- Food groups it covers
- Vegetables and Dairy
- How this was set
- Hand audited
When to cook it
Matar Paneer takes about 40 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is a fair bit of work. It is eaten at lunch and dinner. It is at its best in winter, which is when what goes into it is worth buying.
Watch someone make it
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More to cook
Cooked from the same things
Other dishes built on paneer, pea, and tomato.
From the same kitchens
More cooking from North India.
Does the same job on the plate
Swap any of these in when you want a meal the same shape.
Cook this with your whole family
Dinejot plans breakfast, lunch and dinner as whole plates, built around the cooking you call home and filtered for the allergies at your table.
Meal suggestions support your goals. They are not medical advice. Please ask your doctor about your family's health needs.