A classic vegetarian paneer dish that is incredibly popular in Northern India. Simple ingredients, tasty, and easy. Can be made from frozen ingredients but make sure to defrost your paneer in hot water before use, and you can use either fresh or frozen peas but frozen peas will take a while longer to cook and add more moisture. I have seen some people add chopped cauliflower florets to this, and I tend to be more of a pragmatist than a purist, so go ahead.
You can choose to fry your paneer first for two minutes until slightly golden, turning halfway through, then remove from the pan and add back in to the curry for the last minute of cooking, or just add in the paneer at the end for two minutes without frying first. I always recommend soaking your paneer in hot boiled water for at least ten minutes before cooking it in the curry as that way more moisture is retained and the paneer will be creamier, whether you choose to fry first or not. You can also add a touch of cream or coconut milk to the sauce to make it velvety and heavier, or keep it on the lighter side like I did here.
Another way to get a creamier sauce without adding anything is to blitz together the onion, chillies, and ginger garlic in a food processor to form a puree then add this after the whole spices if using, then tomatoes, ground spices and salt, then just follow the rest of the recipe. Or you can cook the onion, chillies, and ginger garlic until the onions turn golden, then add tomatoes and cook for a minute, then put this in a food processor to form a thick gravy. You would then fry whole spices if using for under a minute, then add the gravy, add ground spices, then follow the rest of the recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
-250g of paneer
-Tin of chopped tomatoes, of four to five freshly chopped tomatoes
-150g to 200g of peas depending on preference, fresh or frozen
-Three to four onions, white or red
-One heaped tablespoon of ginger garlic paste, or 5 cloves of garlic crushed and finely chopped, and one inch of grated ginger
-One to two green chillies, or half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of chilli powder, more if you want it spicy
-Two heaped teaspoons of garam masala
-A heaped teaspoon of cumin, ground or whole seeds
-A heaped teaspoon of ground coriander
-A heapd teaspoon of turmeric
Optional but recommended: One bay leaf, one inch of cinnamon bark or half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, one teaspoon of methi (ground fenugreek), two cardamom pod seeds, cream or coconut milk if desired, a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnishing with.
METHOD:
-Fry whole spices if using for under a minute or until the aromas are released but without burning
-Add onions, chillies, and ginger garlic and cook until onions soften and turn golden. Add a touch of salt to speed this up
-Add ground spices, stir through thoroughly and cook for another minute
-Add tomatoes, cook until mushy and the raw smell of tomatoes dissipates so at least a minute or two. Add in half a cup to a cup of water and simmer until you get your chosen consistency
-Add the peas and a cup of water then cook until everything thickens, adding more water if needed. Taste test and add more salt if necessary
-When the peas are cooked to your preferred level of bite, throw in your paneer for two minutes if you haven't fried it, then take the heat off. If you have fried your paneer beforehand just stir through thoroughly
-Add cream or coconut milk if using, then finally garnish and serve
-Enjoy!
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