Restaurant Style Matar Paneer | Best Ever Matar Paneer Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-5 Servings
 
Ingredients
  • Paneer/cottage cheese - 200 gms
  • Matar/Green peas - 1 cup
  • Onion - 2, large, thinly sliced
  • Tomato - 2, large, chopped
  • Mustard oil - 6 to 7 tbsp
  • Cumin/jeera seeds - ½ tsp
  • Green chilli - 1-2 (feel free to adjust!), finely chopped
  • Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves, chopped
  • Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
  • Cloves - 4 to 5
  • Green cardamom - 4 to 5
  • Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
  • Bay leaf/tej patta - 1
  • Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
  • Cumin powder - 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder - 2 tsp
  • Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Garam masala - ½ tsp
  • Sugar - 2 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Freshly chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Instructions
  1. Peel the green pea pods and get the green peas out to make about a cup of peas. Boil the green peas in salted water until they become soft. Drain the water out and set the boiled green peas aside until needed.
  2. Cut the block of paneer into 1-inch cubes. Set them aside while you prepare the matar paneer gravy.
  3. Heat a kadai and add the mustard oil into it. Once the oil is warm, temper it with cumin seeds and allow them to crackle for a few seconds.
  4. Next add chopped green chillies & chopped garlic to the kadai and fry them for just a minute on low flame making sure that garlic doesn’t burn.
  5. Now it’s time to add sliced onion. Sauté the onion on medium flame for a good 10-15 minutes until they turn golden brown and somewhat crispy.
  6. Add chopped tomatoes and ginger paste to the kadai and let everything cook on medium flame for another 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are all soft and melted.
  7. Once oil starts to release from onion tomato mixture, switch off the flame, transfer the mixture to a blender or grinder jar and let it cool completely.
  8. When the onion tomato mixture is absolutely cooled down, blend it to make a very smooth paste which should also look very creamy. Take your time here and do not rush!
  9. Now wash and heat up the same kadai again; then add about a tablespoon of mustard oil to it.
  10. Temper the hot oil with whole spices - cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom and tej patta. Allow them to become fragrant by tossing them in hot oil for half a minute on low flame.
  11. After about half a minute add all the powdered spices - turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and kashmiri red chilli powder.
  12. Cook the powdered spices again for half a minute on low flame. Then add the onion tomato paste that you had prepared as above.
  13. Sauté the onion mixture for 5 minutes on medium flame until oil starts to release. Then add about 1 & ½ to 2 cups of water, preferably warm, to the kadai.
  14. Season the prepared onion tomato gravy with salt to taste and also add the sugar at this stage. Let the gravy come to a full boil.
  15. Now add the paneer cubes and boiled matar aka green peas. Stir them through the gravy to distribute evenly. Bring the gravy to boil.
  16. Then lower the heat to minimum and cover the kadai with a lid. Simmer the covered matar paneer gravy for 8 to 10 minutes to allow the paneer and matar to absorb all the flavors.
  17. After about 10 minutes, uncover the kadai and check the consistency of the gravy. If it seems too thin, boil off some excess water to bring it to your desired consistency.
  18. Check and adjust the seasoning at this stage if needed. Finally sprinkle garam masala over the matar paneer and give it a good mix.
  19. Your restaurant style matar paneer is ready! Transfer to a large serving platter, garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves and enjoy with hot phulkas!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2025/03/best-ever-restaurant-style-matar-paneer-recipe/