Mateer paneer-green peas and cheese in fragrant tomato sauce

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 Recipe Paneer (Indian cheese) made with 8 cups milk & cut into 1/2 by 1/2 by 1&1/2 inch pieces (see recipe)
9 tablespoons Usli ghee or clarified butter
2 cups Finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon Finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Finely chopped ginger root
2 teaspoons Ground coriander
1 teaspoon Turmeric
½ teaspoon Ground cumin
¼ teaspoon Methi; see note in text
¼ teaspoon EACH red (cayenne) & black pepper, (1/4 to 1/2)
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 cups Finely chopped or pureed fresh ripe tomato, or
1½ cup Canned tomatoes with their juice, chopped
1 Jalepeno; finely chopped
1½ cup Shelled fresh green peas; or
1 Ten-ounce package frozen peas, defrosted but not cooked (I don't bother to defrost)
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
¼ cup Cream (scant)
2 teaspoons Garam masala; or more to taste
4 tablespoons Finely chopped fresh corianger leaves, (cilantro)

Directions

1. Spread paneer pieces on a piece of waxed paper & allow to dry slightly for ½ hour.

2. Heat 3 T. of the ghee or clarified butter over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pan, preferably one with a non-stick interior. When the ghee is hot, add cheese pieces. Keep a lid or splatter screen handy as the moisture in the cheese may be released explosively, causing tiny particles of cheese to fly all over. Dusting the pieces with a little flour prevents splattering. Fry the cheese, turning & tossing often to prevent sticking & burning, until lightly seared (about 5 minutes). Transfer pieces to a bowl.

Fry in batches so that there is ample room for turning them without fear of breaking.

3. Add the remaining 6 T. ghee or clarified butter to the pan & increase heat to high. Add onions to pan & fry until they turn light brown, about 5 minutes. Stir constantly so that they do not burn. Add garlic & ginger & fry for an additional 2 minutes. Add ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, methi (methi = dried fenugreek leaves, available at any Indian market, you can easily omit if not available - Holly) red & black pepper & paprika, all at once. Stir rapidly for a moment & immediately add tomatoes & jalapeno.

Cook until the mixture thickens to a pulpy sauce & the fat begins to separate (about 10 minutes), stirring often.

4. Add 2¼ cups hot water and bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook the sauce, covered, for 20 minutes. Cool sauce briefly. Then puree it in a blender or food processor, leaving the sauce a little coarse so it has a certain texture.

5. Return sauce to pan. Add peas, salt, and fried cheese and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until peas are cooked through (about 15 minutes for fresh and 5 (or less) for frozen). Turn off heat & add the scant ¼ C. cream and let the dish rest, covered, for an hour before serving. When ready to serve, heat thoroughly. Fold in garam masala & chooped coriander leaves. Check for salt, & serve. ( I usually add the listed amount of garam masala with the cream & then add more when reheating....and I've found I do generally need to add more salt).

Julie's Note: This dish tastes best if made a couple of hours before serving...and may be refrigerated for up to 3 days without loss of flavor.

To reheat, simmer gently until heated through. Holly thinks best if made a full day ahead, if possible. Just don't add the garam masala (or extra garam masala, using my method) and cilantro until right before serving.

Serve with basmati rice.

Recipe by Julie Sahni (Classic Indian Cooking), somewhat modifed by Holly Butman.

Serves 6 per Julie, I say serves 4 at best, people tend to go wild for this. If you add other entrees/sides, _then_ you can easily serve 6-8 hungry people.

NOTES : Formatted by Holly Butman Recipe by: Julie Sahni/Holly Butman Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #811 by Holly Butman <butma001@...> on Sep 27, 1997

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