Wednesday 4 March 2015

Matar Paneer

So I had Matar Paneer at my first trip to Mother India a couple of weeks ago - and it was fantastic!

I found a recipe for it in my big book of Indian cuisine (I think I am missing the food from the kitchen I used to work in a little, the trip to the restaurant made sure to remind me about it!), and decided to lighten it up a little and make it a healthier meal for any day of the week. And the best of all? It comes together in 15-20 minutes!

I bought some 10-minute brown rice, if you just stir a little butter or oil and a pinch of salt through, it tastes really good, not to mention the fact that you save time and energy, perfect *smiles*.

Matar Paneer
(Serves 1)


2 tbsp oil or ghee
100g paneer, diced
1 small bay leaf
Water (4 tbsp + 1/2 cup)
A good pinch of each: cloves, cardamom and cinnamon
Also 1/3 tsp of each cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, and Garam Masala
Small pinch chilli powder
1-2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
Salt to taste
100g peas, drained and rinsed
Rice to serve

- Cook rice as instructed on the package.

- Now, in a medium frying pan, heat the oil and fry the diced paneer until golden, for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.

- Now, take out the paneer with a slotted spoon and transfer to kitchen paper. In the same frying pan, add the bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon, along with 4tbsp water over low heat, for for a minute until fragrant.

- Now, add the remaining spices, as well as the salt, ginger and 1/2 cup of water. Stir well, before adding the peas and paneer and cook for about 5-7 minutes until it is all heated through properly.

- Serve the Matar Paneer over a bed of rice, and enjoy!


Other than that, some friends and I tried our hands at the pub quiz at Cafê Rio last night! It was a lot of fun, and I particularly liked the part where we were given a pot of Playdoh and told to recreate a scene from a horror movie, we picked Scream! And I must say it was pretty detailed and impressvie (I was watching in awe more than helping, not very good with Playdoh and haven't watched the movie!). Today I am going to work, and then have a quiet evening, should be good! Do you have any plans for the coming days?


Original Source:
India, p. 315

- Jules

6 comments:

  1. This looks so good! I have wanted to make Indian food for so long, but I am always scared at the length of the ingredient list, and the cooking time. This is something I think I could manage :)

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    1. Thank you Cathleen!
      In truth, I find that with most Indian dishes that have a metre-long ingredient list, most of them are things you would already have at hand like spices. If you also want to try something else with Paneer that is easy - I would recommend palak paneer, it is a lovely spinach dish that I also made last week using the other half of the paneer I bought :)
      Dahl is easy to make as well, and usually super flavourful! My problem is, that there are too many yummy dishes to choose to make. This one was lovely though :) Happy cooking! x

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  2. Hei hei :) Dette høres nydelig ut- som alt annet du lager ♡ Indisk mat kan være så godt!!
    Jeg har ikke planer annet enn å være effektiv :) Med skole og bok, spesielt. Og planlegge raw food kurs som jeg skal holde neste helg.
    God helg til deg :)

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    Replies
    1. Heisann og takker og bukker til deg :)
      Indisk mat er kjempegodt! Vet dette her ikke er vegansk, men kan lett erstatte paneer'en med fritert tofu eller noe annet du tror passer, ristede nøtter kanskje? :D
      Høres ut som om du har mye på tapetet jente, masse lykke til, har troen på deg som alltid :) Ha en utrolig fin helg du også :D I dag og i morgen skal jeg på veldedigshets-sammenkomster med god mat og drikke hos venninner, blir bra! Så må jeg huske og slappe av litt på et tidspunkt også :P xx

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  3. Sounds like a delicious meal! Paneer is just great. I love Indian food and culture, it's all so beautiful--jealous that you got to visit :)

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    Replies
    1. Hey!
      Sadly I didn't actually get to go to India, just the restaurant, but it is so authentic you could easily pretend that you were abroad :) Paneer is amazing, and so versatile as well :D
      I hope you are enjoying your Sunday :) x

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