Mattar Paneer

We made Taryn's mushroom and peas masala and it reminded us of this. And a while ago Taryn was experimenting with tofu (which we usually use instead of paneer) so we figured we'd post it for inspiration and contrast. :) This has a lot of spices, clearly, but it's not spicy.

1 large onion
1 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1 15-oz can tomato sauce (the super plain kind) or crushed tomatoes
2 tap ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
10 ounces frozen peas
3 Tbs sour cream (optional)
1/4 tsp sugar
8 ounces paneer or firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes

1. Puree onion and garlic in food processor
2. Heat oil in large-ish pot on medium and add oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin and bay leaf and cook about 1 minute, until they start smelling good and/or the mustard seeds start jumping.
3. Add onion and garlic and saute 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and all other spices except the sugar and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce gets too thick add up to 1/2 cup water.
4. Stir in peas, sour cream, and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes or so until peas are hot.
5. Fold in paneer or tofu and cook 3 more minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve hot with rice or bread.


We generally use tofu because it's cheaper and easier to find around here and it still tastes fine, if not super authentic. Eric likes the sour cream in the sauce but I like it with or without.