MUTTER PANEER – East Indian

MUTTER PANEER – East Indian
Mutter Paneer was one of my favorite dishes growing up in India. It is a delicious creamy, spicy gravy that has Indian cottage cheese (paneer) and green peas. Mutter is a Hindi word that means ‘green peas’
I made my easy delicious version of this recipe in my American kitchen.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup cubed paneer
1 cup cooked green peas
1 big red onion sliced
2 tomatoes sliced
1 tablespoon of garlic paste
1 teaspoon kasur methi (dried fenugreek leaves available in Indian grocery)
1 serrano or green chili finely chopped
About 10 whole cashews roasted and powdered

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon cloves powder
1/4 teaspoon cardamon powder
1/2 teaspoon or less cayenne powder or red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoon olive oil or any cooking oil
1 tablespoon heavy cream
salt to taste
PREPARATION
Saute the sliced onions in oil and then add the tomatoes and cook them well together then add the garlic paste and fry for a few minutes till the garlic is cooked. Remove from heat and allow this to cool.
Now add this into a blender along with all the dry spice powders and blend well.
Now in a deep pan add the butter and the mixture from the gravy along with the cooked peas and cook them in medium heat, stir now and then, close with a lid partially to cook.
Add the cubed paneer and the finely chopped green chilie to this mixture and continue to cook them.
After about 5 minutes add the cashew powder and the kasur methi to the mixture and stir well. I usually crush the kasur methi before adding it.
Allow the mixture to cook for another 5-7 minutes taste for salt. Now add the tablespoon of heavy cream and mix well into the curry.
Remove from heat and you can garnish with cilantro (optional)
Serve hot with rice or any kind of bread.
Enjoy!