Matar Paneer or Mutter paneer masala recipe is a classic restaurant style vegetarian curry of Indian cottage cheese and peas cooked in a tomato-onion based sauce in an Instant Pot Pressure cooker.Matar means Green Peas and Paneer is the cottage cheese.
I have used store brought paneer for this recipe but Homemade paneer tastes best.But if you dont want to make paneer at home, then you can find paneer(cottage cheese) at your local grocery stores like Costco, or from Indian grocery stores.
When i have excess paneer at home,i simply cube and freeze them in freezer safe containers.Whenever i want to use frozen paneer ,i just thaw them in room temperature and put them in hot water till they turn soft.
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Looking for more Paneer recipes,Check my 15+ Paneer recipe collections from my blog.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MATAR PANEER
To make vegan matar paneer replace Paneer with tofu.Replace dairy cream with cashew cream or coconut cream.
CAN I FREEZE THIS MATAR PANEER CURRY?
Yes, you can also freeze this Mutter Paneer Masala in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months.But i highly recommend serving this curry fresh as texture of paneer changes after freezing.
You can refrigerate this curry for 2-3 days in an airtight container and reheat it when you are ready to eat it.
TIPS & VARIATIONS FOR MAKING MATAR PANEER
A simple peas paneer curry can be made in many ways, such as:
- KETO: You can replace peas with bell pepper or use just paneer for keto diet.You can also use almond paste or coconut cream or heavy cream instead of cashew cream.
- You can also add paneer after pressure cooking cycle and simmer the curry for 1 minute, if you prefer.
- If you are using store bought paneer, soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes before you start making this recipe.It will make paneer soft.
- If you want to make Restaurant Style Matar Paneer add more full fat cream in the end.
- You can also add some curd/yogurt for a slightly different taste variation to this gravy.
- You can also deep fry the paneer and add it to the curry.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH MATAR PANEER?
Mutter Paneer Masala can be served with naan, roti, chapati ,poori ,jeera rice ,veg pulao or steamed rice.
HOW TO MAKE MATAR PANEER IN INSTANT POT STEP BY STEP
If you are using store bought paneer, soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes before you start making this recipe.It will make paneer soft.
Grind onion, ginger, garlic to a smooth paste without adding water and keep aside.
Also blend the tomatoes separately and keep aside.Note i used 1/2 can of tomato puree(sauce) about 1 cup for this recipe.
Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil in to the POT.Once POT is hot add bay leaves, cardamom and cumin ,let them sizzle.
Next add ground onion paste.Saute for 4 mins until the onion paste turns light brown.
Add the tomatoes paste, dry spices like turmeric, red chilli powder ,coriander powder ,salt to the instant pot and cook for another 2-3 mins.
Add the cubed paneer, frozen green peas and water to the instant pot.Deglaze the pot if anything is stuck to the bottom.
Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 2 minutes.Do a QUICK RELEASE(QR).
Then add garam masala powder, cashew cream ,crushed dried fenugreek leaves and mix well.
Garnish with cilantro.Instant pot Pressure cooker Matar/mutter paneer masala is ready to serve.
YOU CAN TRY MY OTHER INSTANT POT CURRY RECIPES LIKE
INSTANT POT MATAR PANEER RECIPE CARD
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Instant Pot Matar Paneer
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1.5 cups Paneer/Cottage Cheese ,cubed
- 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 medium onion (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 large tomatoes or 1/2 can of tomato sauce (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2-3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoon fresh cream or coconut cream or cashew cream
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
- cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- If you are using store bought paneer, soak them in warm water for 20 minutes before you start cooking this recipe
INSTANT POT METHOD:
- Grind onion, ginger, garlic to a smooth paste without adding water and keep aside.
- Also blend the tomatoes separately and keep aside.Note i used 1/2 can of tomato puree(sauce) about 1 cup for this recipe.
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil in to the POT.Once POT is hot add bay leaves, cardamom and cumin ,let them sizzle.
- Next add ground onion paste.Saute for 4 mins until the onion paste turns light brown.
- Add the tomatoes paste, dry spices like turmeric, red chilli powder ,coriander powder ,salt to the instant pot and cook for another 2-3 mins.
- Add the cubed paneer, frozen green peas and water to the instant pot.Deglaze the pot if anything is stuck to the bottom.
- Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
- Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 2 minutes.Do a QUICK RELEASE(QR).
- Then add garam masala powder, cashew cream ,crushed dried fenugreek leaves and mix well.
- Garnish with cilantro. Mutter paneer is ready to serve.
Notes
TIPS & VARIATIONS :
- KETO: You can replace peas with bell pepper or use just paneer for keto diet.You can also use almond paste or coconut cream or heavy cream instead of cashew cream.
- You can also add paneer after pressure cooking cycle and simmer the curry for 1 minute, if you prefer.
- If you are using store bought paneer, soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes before you start making this recipe.It will make paneer soft.
- If you want to make Restaurant Style Matar Paneer add more full fat cream in the end.
- You can also add some curd/yogurt for a slightly different taste variation to this gravy.
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