Mattar Paneer (Peas with Paneer) in Cilantro Sauce
A classic made a little different… I love, love cilantro- so I used it as a base for this dish… so, so good!!
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, skin off
- 6 to 7 scallions, ends cut off and halved
- ½ cup full fat yogurt
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 12 ounces paneer, cut into 1 inch squares and soaked in warm water (for an hour)
- 1½ cups frozen peas
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Transfer the cilantro, cumin, garlic, scallions, yogurt, water, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and ground coriander to a blender. Blend till a smooth sauce is formed. Keep aside.
Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Add the cilantro sauce and sauté on medium heat, stirring every couple of minutes, for about 20 minutes. Drain the paneer and add to the sauce. Mix well and bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the frozen peas, bring to a boil and simmer for another 5 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro.
I do make it from scratch but not for this recipe. I use the Deep paneer. The trick for soft paneer is to cut it in pieces and soak it in warm water for an hour or two.
As far as the yogurt is concerned- this time I added the green masala and yogurt together in the pan and heated everything together instead of adding cold yogurt to hot masala- that usually splits the sauce. But if your sauce does split, you can always put it in the blender for a couple of minutes- another great trick!
Mona, what brand paneer do you use? Or do you make it from scratch? My paneer doesn’t come out as soft looking.
Also what do you do to prevent yogurt from splitting in the sauce?