Matar Paneer - Mommy Style (Easy recipe with ginger, garlic and onions)

It was Lohri yesterday and the festival made me all homesick for mom. I decided to keep dinner simple and make matar paneer, in ode to my Punjabi roots. I can not believe how well it turned out. So, here is my recipe for matar paneer, that takes me back to mom's kitchen. Not spicy at all, just well balanced. Goes well with chapatis as well as rice.


Recipe

Serves: 4
Time taken: 30 mins

Ingredients

Paneer cubes - 250 gm
Frozen peas - 1/2 cup or 110 gm
Oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Onion - 1 medium (chopped fine)
Tomatoes - 3 medium (pureed in blender)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander power (dhania pwd) - 1 tsp
Cumin powder (jeera pwd) - 1 tsp
Turmeric (haldi) - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup

Method
1) Make a paste of the ginger and garlic.
2) Warm 3 cups of water and add the paneer cubes to it. Keep aside. This will make the paneer soft. Ensure water is not boiling hot, so that it doesn't cook them (and make them tough).
3) Heat oil in a kadhai (wok). Add cumin seeds and let them splutter for half a minute (on medium-low heat). Add chopped onion and cook till brown on medium heat.

4) Add the ginger garlic paste, mix and cook on low heat for 2 minutes so that the raw smell goes.
5) Now add in the dry masalas - coriander powder, jeera powder, turmeric and red chili powder.

6) Cook for a minute. Add the tomato puree and cook on medium heat till the masala leaves oil (around 8-10 mins).

7) Add salt, sugar and water. Give it a boil and reduce heat. Cook covered for 4 minutes.
8) Add the peas, cover and cook for another 5 minutes or till peas are cooked.

9) Now add the paneer cubes and garam masala. Switch off the gas and mix. The paneer doesn't need to cook.

10 ) Serve hot.

The paneer is softest if you don't cook it and if you pre-soak it in luke-warm water. However, it is best to make this dish 3-4 hours before serving so that the paneer soaks up the gravy and imbibes its flavours.