Matar Paneer Madra (Green Peas-Cottage Cheese Curry - Himachali Style)

 

            Madra is one of the signature dishes of Himachal Pradesh. It is a very nutritious dish where boiled chickpeas are cooked in a thick and creamy yoghurt based gravy called chana madra. It is truly a vegetarian delight with no onion, garlic or ginger. It is generally served during festivals, marriage or any special occasions. 

            So check out my version of a fusion style madra recipe prepared with paneer and green peas. Very simple to prepare, it tastes absolutely yummy. You can enjoy it with any form of rice or Indian bread for a nice weekend lunch / dinner.

• 1/2 cup green peas 
• 1 & 1/2 cups paneer cubes 
• 1 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tbsp. ghee 
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 cardamoms
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 mace
• 1/4 tsp. asafetida (Hing)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• salt to taste
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 1 tsp. gram flour
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1/2 tsp. kasuri methi, crushed (opt)
• 1 tbsp. coriander leave, chopped

          Whisk the yoghurt and gram flour and keep aside. Mix all the dry spices along with some water to form a paste. Keep aside.

          Heat oil and ghee in a pan and temper with bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, mace and asafetida. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Add the spice paste and sauté till the oil separates. Now add the whisked yoghurt and salt. 

          Keep stirring continuously on a low flame till the gravy slightly thickens. Now add the frozen green peas, paneer cubes, green chilies and kasuri methi. 

          Simmer for 2 minutes and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice, jeera rice, pulao, paratha, poori or chapatti.

Shahi Matar Paneer

 

          Shahi Matar Paneer needs no introduction. It is a very popular Mughlai style Paneer recipe that is made with paneer and green peas in a rich cashew nut-tomato gravy. This gives a royal touch to the dish. Hence the name 'Shahi'. 

          It is a restaurant style party recipe apt for any special occasion. It can be prepared in many ways. So this is my version of this yummy recipe. You can make it dry or with gravy depending on your personal preference. It is a perfect side dish to jeera rice, plain biryani, naan, tandoori roti or chapatti. 

• 200 gms. paneer cubes
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 3-4 tbsp. oil
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1 tbsp. roasted coriander-cumin powder
• 1 tbsp. shahi paneer masala
•  1tsp. kasuri methi, crushed
• 2 tomatoes
• 10-12 cashew nuts
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Blend the tomatoes, cashew nuts and green chilies into a smooth paste. Keep aside. 

          In a small bowl, mix together the ginger-garlic paste, all the dry spices and some water. Keep aside. 

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and cumin seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. 

           Add the onion and sauté till light brown. Now add the spice paste and continue to sauté till the oil separates. 

           Add the green peas and cook for 1-2 minutes. Now add the tomato-cashew paste and mix everything well. Cook till the oil separates.

          Time to add the paneer, kasuri methi and 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer till the gravy thickens and the oil separates.

          When done, switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and a pinch of shahi paneer masala. Serve with naan, tandoori roti, jeera rice or plain biryani.

Cheesy Matar Paneer (Cottage Cheese & Green Peas Curry - North Indian Style)

          Paneer, being my personal favourite, I would like to share this yummy Matar Paneer recipe. It is a classic Punjabi vegetarian dish which is a very popular menu in any Indian restaurant. It can be prepared in many ways. In this recipe, I added some diced capsicum too. 

          I also gave a twist by adding some cream cheese for a slightly richer version. It is a perfect side dish to any form of rice or Indian bread. So go ahead and prepare my version of this yummy side dish by following an easy step by step pictorial recipe.

• 1 cup paneer cubes
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas 
• 1 capsicum, diced (opt)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1" ginger
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• 5-6 cloves
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. yoghurt
• 1 tbsps. cream cheese
• 1 tsp. kasuri methi, crushed
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. fried onions

           Grind the onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes to a smooth paste and keep aside. In a bowl, mix together all the dry spices (except salt) with a little water to make a paste. Keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and cumin seeds. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add the spice paste and sauté till the oil separates. Now add the onion paste and fry till the moisture is absorbed. Then add the yoghurt and cream cheese. Mix well.

          Add the capsicum, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Then add the paneer, green peas and kasuri methi. 

          Cover and cook further for 2 minutes. When done, add the coriander leaves and give it a toss. Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving dish. 

          Garnish with coriander leaves and fried onions. Serve as a side dish with plain steamed rice, jeera rice, plain biryani, pulao, naan, tandoori roti, paratha or just plain chapatti.

                    Heat oil & temper with cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves & cumin seeds. 
                    Sauté for a few seconds.

                                Add spice paste & sauté till the oil separates. 

                                Add onion paste & fry till moisture is absorbed. 

                                 Then add yoghurt & cream cheese. Mix well.

                                 Add capsicum, salt and 

                             1/2 cup water. Cover & simmer on a med. flame for 2 minutes. 

                                 Then add paneer, green peas & kasuri methi. 

                     Cover & cook for 2 minutes. Then add coriander leaves & give it a toss.

                     Garnish with coriander leaves & fried onions. Serve with hot steamed rice, 
                     jeera rice, plain biryani, pulao, naan, paratha, tandoori roti or chapatti.