Shahi Matar Paneer
This caterer-style Shahi Matar Paneer pairs tender, shallow-fried paneer cubes and sweet green peas in a rich, velvety tomato and cashew gravy.
A lot of home-style matar paneer recipes rely on a thin, everyday tomato gravy, but this caterer-style Shahi Matar Paneer is built for special occasions. The secret to that signature wedding-feast texture isn't just heavy cream it is boiling the tomatoes, cashews, and aromatics together, discarding the whole spices, and blending them into a completely smooth, velvety base.
Most people get impatient and try to fry small, raw paneer cubes, which either stick to the pan or turn rubbery. I find it much easier to shallow-fry the paneer as large, whole slabs first, then cut them into cubes and soak them in warm salted water. They keep their shape beautifully while staying soft and spongy enough to soak up the rich, spiced gravy.
Finishing with a touch of butter, cream, and crushed kasuri methi gives this dish that unmistakable restaurant aroma. It is rich, incredibly satisfying, and the perfect curry to mop up with a hot tandoori roti or flaky paratha.
Instructions
- Heat the oil for the base, warming 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep pan on medium heat before adding the cumin, cardamoms, cinnamon, and bay leaves.
- Soften the onions lightly, stirring the quartered onions into the spices for a minute without letting them brown.
- Simmer the tomatoes and aromatics, adding the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chillies, coriander stems, cashews, and half the salt.
- Cook the base ingredients on high, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes until the tomatoes just begin to break down and soften.
- Boil the mixture covered, pouring in 240 ml (1 cup) hot water before covering and simmering for 10 to 12 minutes until completely mushy.
- Cool and pick out the whole spices, turning off the heat to discard the cinnamon, black cardamom, and bay leaves before cooling.
- Sear the paneer slabs, heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan and cooking the large slabs for 2 minutes per side until pale golden.
- Soak the seared paneer, removing the slabs to a board to dice into cubes, then dropping them into a bowl of warm, lightly salted water.
- Blend the cooled gravy base, transferring the onion-tomato mixture to a mixer with a splash of water and blending until completely smooth and velvety.
- Hydrate the ground spices, mixing the turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, and coriander powders with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to form a paste.
- Fry the spice paste, heating 1 tablespoon of oil in the main pan on high heat and stirring the paste for a minute until aromatic and the oil separates.
- Stir in the blended gravy, adding the smooth tomato base along with the remaining salt and the sugar to balance the tartness.
- Simmer the gravy for 5 minutes, letting the flavours meld before stirring in the fresh green peas.
- Cook the peas until tender, adding 120 ml (1/2 cup) hot water, covering, and simmering for 7 to 8 minutes until the fresh peas are fully cooked.
- Add the soaked paneer, draining the cubes from the water and folding them gently into the bubbling gravy.
- Finish with rich garnishes, stirring in the fresh cream, butter, garam masala, kasuri methi, and fresh coriander before turning off the heat.
Notes
Searing the paneer in large slabs instead of small cubes prevents them from breaking or cooking unevenly in the pan.
Keeping the fried paneer cubes in warm salted water is crucial to preserving a spongy, melt-in-the-mouth texture while the gravy simmers.
If you are using frozen green peas instead of fresh, reduce the covered simmering time in the gravy from 7 to 8 minutes down to just 3 to 4 minutes.
Make-ahead tip: The boiled and blended cashew-tomato base can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days before you temper the spices and finish the dish.
