Mattar Paneer

Yipee for me, I have actually managed to prepare a post for “Meatless Monday”. A few weeks I did a post on the Indian fried bread called puri and I wanted to ensure that I posted recipes of curries that can be served with puri. Mattar Panneer translated into English is Peas & Panneer. This dish can be made as rich and creamy as you like or it can be made into a wonderful healthy dish to serve for a vegetarian meal. Paneer is almost like a staple diet in the state of Punjab in northern India, and it is added to almost all of vegetables, and by adding the paneer to vegetables you are adding a bit of protein to the vegetable and ensuring you have a balanced meal. The recipe I am sharing is a   ” Healthy Version”

Peas and Paneer

2 tablespoon oil

2/3 cinnamon sticks

3-4 curry leaves

1 med onion – grated

1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste

2 teaspoon cumin & coriander powder

½ teaspoon chilli powder

1 green chilli (seeds removed and chopped)

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 tomato – grated

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt (this can be adjusted as per taste)

3 tablespoon fat free yoghurt

1 cup paneer or 1 cup ricotta cheese (cut in cubes

¼ cup chopped fresh coriander

Method

1.  Heat oil in a medium size pan, add cinnamon sticks and curry leaves, then add the chopped onion cook till the onions are golden brown
2. Add the ginger/garlic paste, powder spices, green chilli, peas, tomatoes and tomato paste
3. Lower heat, cover the pan and allow to simmer for 10minutes (add some water if required) or until peas and tomatoes are cooked
4. Season with salt and lemon juice before adding the chopped paneer or ricotta cheese, and allow the curry to simmer on the stove for a further 5-10 minutes
5. Remove from the stove and add the yogurt and garnish with fresh coriander, before serving with steamed basmati rice, puri or with an Indian bread of our choice

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