Matar Paneer is a delicious Indian curry packed with paneer and green peas. I am sharing secret tips and tricks to make a truly Dhaba-style matar paneer at home. Be sure to watch the video!
What is ‘Dhaba’?
‘Dhaba’ is a Hindi term used across Northern India for restaurants or eateries on the highway.
These local eating joints serve lip-smacking, rustic, regional food without fuss or fancy plating.
If you travel across North, West, or Central India, eating at these roadside restaurants called ‘Dha-Ba’ is a must. These highway restaurants serve certain popular dishes like dal makhani , dal tadka , matar paneer, jeera aloo , chicken curry , and tandoori roti .
About Matar Paneer Recipe
When I say ‘Dhaba Style’, I truly mean the spicy, thick, and luscious paneer curry served at any North Indian Dhaba by the roadside.
Who says Dhaba-style matar paneer cannot be prepared without artificial colour or flavouring? In this matar paneer recipe, none of these is used, and yet the result is gratifying.
This requires time and patience, unlike my other quick and easy paneer recipes . The roasting of masala for the curry is a time-consuming process that cannot be done in haste.
If you are looking for a matar paneer curry in a hurry, try my pressure cooker matar paneer . Or you can get hands-on my debut cookbook The 100 Best Curries , where I have a dedicated chapter called Curry in a Hurry with vegetarian recipes in under 30 minutes.
My Tried and True Tips
Use the best available ripe and red tomatoes for the gravy. They give an excellent taste and colour to the dish.
Stick to either Kashmiri red chilli powder or Deggi Mirch Powder for this Dhaba-style matar paneer recipe. These two are known for imparting a rich colour to the dishes.
Adding roasted gram flour thickens the curry and gives it a restaurant-like consistency. But only a tablespoon is sufficient to make a perfect matar paneer.
Mustard oil or ghee is ideal for making any Dhaba-style rich gravy. I have used mustard oil in this recipe.
Frying paneer for the gravy is optional. Many people like fried cottage cheese cubes in their gravy, but I prefer the opposite. And I don’t think frying paneer contributes to the taste or texture of the dish.
You can use fresh or frozen green peas for making this paneer curry. If you are using frozen peas, thaw them before adding them to the curry.
Serving Suggestion
Matar Paneer is an Indian main course dish with a delicious gravy. Serve it with:
Naan , Tandoori Roti, or Chapati
Basmati Rice
Jeera Rice
Saffron Pulao
Watch Matar Paneer Video
More Paneer Recipes
- Restaurant Style Kadhai Paneer
- 30 Minutes Paneer Curry
- Paneer Kofta Curry
- Paneer Kali Mirch
- Paneer Makhani
- Paneer Jalfrezi
- Chilli Paneer
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 500 gram paneer (cottage cheese), cut into cubes
- ▢ ½ Cup fresh green peas (you can use frozen green peas )
- ▢ 1 Cup chopped onion
- ▢ 1 Cup chopped tomato
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste ( see recipe )
- ▢ 2 green chilies sliced
- ▢ 4 tablespoon mustard oil
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
- ▢ 1 teaspoon deggi mirch powder/Kashmiri lal mirch powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon garam masala ( see recipe )
- ▢ 1 tablespoon gram flour (besan)
Instructions
- Make paste of tomato in mixer. Set aside.
- Dry roast the gram flour over low heat till aromatic and golden. Keep aside.
- Heat mustard oil in a kadhai till it starts smoking. Reduce the heat to low.
- Fry the paneer cubes till they turn crisp and golden from both the sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside till required. This step is completely optional.
- Add bay leaf and fry for a second.
- Next add the chopped onion and cook till onion are golden brown.
- Add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry nicely for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Now add the tomato paste. Fry till the masala starts leaving the sides of the pan. This might take 5 – 10 minutes.
- Dissolve red chilli powder in two tablespoon of water and it to the masala.
- Add turmeric powder, peas, roasted gram flour and coriander powder. Stir to combine.
- Add approximately 1 Cup of water, cover the pan and allow the curry to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Next, add the paneer cubes, garam masala, green chilli, salt and mix nicely.
- Simmer the curry for few 5 more minutes or till it thickens.
- Garnish dhaba style matar paneer with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve Dhaba Style Matar Paneer with naan or basmati rice.
Recipe Notes:
- Use the best available ripe and red tomatoes for the gravy.
- Stick to either Kashmiri red chili powder or Deggi Mirch Powder for this paneer recipe.
- Dissolving red chili powder in water before adding to the masala gives a nice color to the curry.
- Adding roasted gram flour thickens the curry and gives it a restaurant like consistency.
- Mustard oil or ghee is the ideal to make any dhaba style rich gravy.
- Frying paneer for the gravy is totally optional.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Dhaba Style Matar Paneer Recipe
Equipment
- Kadhai
Ingredients
- 500 gram paneer (cottage cheese), cut into cubes
- ½ Cup fresh green peas (you can use frozen green peas )
- 1 Cup chopped onion
- 1 Cup chopped tomato
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste ( see recipe )
- 2 green chilies sliced
- 4 tablespoon mustard oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon deggi mirch powder/Kashmiri lal mirch powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala ( see recipe )
- 1 tablespoon gram flour (besan)
Instructions
- Make paste of tomato in mixer. Set aside.
- Dry roast the gram flour over low heat till aromatic and golden. Keep aside.
- Heat mustard oil in a kadhai till it starts smoking. Reduce the heat to low.
- Fry the paneer cubes till they turn crisp and golden from both the sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside till required. This step is completely optional.
- Add bay leaf and fry for a second.
- Next add the chopped onion and cook till onion are golden brown.
- Add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry nicely for 3 - 5 minutes.
- Now add the tomato paste. Fry till the masala starts leaving the sides of the pan. This might take 5 - 10 minutes.
- Dissolve red chilli powder in two tablespoon of water and it to the masala.
- Add turmeric powder, peas, roasted gram flour and coriander powder. Stir to combine.
- Add approximately 1 Cup of water, cover the pan and allow the curry to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Next, add the paneer cubes, garam masala, green chilli, salt and mix nicely.
- Simmer the curry for few 5 more minutes or till it thickens.
- Garnish dhaba style matar paneer with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve Dhaba Style Matar Paneer with naan or basmati rice.
Video
Notes
- Use the best available ripe and red tomatoes for the gravy.
- Stick to either Kashmiri red chili powder or Deggi Mirch Powder for this paneer recipe.
- Dissolving red chili powder in water before adding to the masala gives a nice color to the curry.
- Adding roasted gram flour thickens the curry and gives it a restaurant like consistency.
- Mustard oil or ghee is the ideal to make any dhaba style rich gravy.
- Frying paneer for the gravy is totally optional.
Nutrition
Panjiri is a North Indian sweet mixture. It is healthy, nutritious, and has a savory taste. This is a traditional panjiri recipe from my Kumaoni family made with dry fruits, edible gum (gond), and spices.
About Panjiri
Panjiri is a popular sweet across North India. It is considered a good nutritional supplement for the brutal winters and nursing mothers.
Panjiri helps nursing mothers in lactation, builds immunity, and boosts energy. It is more like a herbal energy bar.
It has plenty of dry fruits, warming spices, and herbal gums. Hence, the taste of a panjiri is sweet, and savory with a hint of spiciness.
Every family has its own heirloom panjiri recipe passed on from one generation of mothers to another.
Kumaoni Prasad Panjiri
In many regions of India, to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, panjiri is made as a prasad (sacred sweet).
Krishna Janmashtmi is the birthday of Lord Krishna. Hence, panjiri is made for the birth mother of the lord as a sacred offering.
My family makes this Pahadi Style Dhaniya Panjiri as a Janmashtmi sweet. No flour is added to the Kumaoni Prasad Ki Panjiri. It is a gluten-free sweet.
The flavor comes from dry ginger powder (saunth), carom seeds (ajwain), and coriander seeds. A pinch of turmeric is added to provide beautiful golden color to the Pahadi Panjiri.
Then with thick sugar syrup, the panjiri is molded into fudge-like squares. This is an optional step. After the festival, you can relish leftover panjiri with a hot cup of tea as a sweet treat.
Ingredients Required
Lotus seed s – also known as foxnuts or makhana
Desiccated Coconut – you can use packaged or fresh desiccated coconut.
Dry Fruits – almonds, pistachio, peanuts
Edible Gum – herbal gum or the gond is the key ingredient in this panjiri recipe
Spices – whole coriander seeds (dhaniya), carom seeds (ajwain/omam), dry ginger powder (saunth), turmeric powder (optional), green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
Ghee – if you want to make it vegan panjiri, use coconut oil
Sweetener – add only a tablespoon of sugar if you are planning to add sugar syrup. If not, then add ¼ cup powdered sugar.
Sugar Syrup – it is optional to give panjiri a barfi/fudge-like shape. You can make it like a pinni ladoo or as a mixture.
My Tried & True Tips
This is a Pahadi style panjiri recipe . hence, the method and ingredients are slightly different from the Punjabi Panjiri.
Make sure to sun-dry all the spices, dry fruits, and herbal gum a day or two before making the panjiri. This process increases the shelf life of the sweet.
Do not dry roast the spices for too long especially carom seeds. Else, they will taste bitter.
Fry ingredients in batches and separately as suggested in the panjiri recipe and not all together.
Panjiri always has a coarse texture . Hence, do not make a fine powder of the ingredients.
Adding turmeric is optional. In Pahadi style panjiri, turmeric is a must ingredient.
If you are not adding sugar syrup, add ¼ cup powdered white sugar or jaggery powder. Reduce the amount of sugar if planning to add syrup.
After grinding ingredients to a coarse powder, you can serve panjiri as a mixture. If you are keen to make panjiri ladoo or barfi, then only add sugar syrup.
You can store panjiri for a month in an airtight container.
More Indian Festival Recipes
Ghujia
Suji Halwa
Mawa Modak
Vrat Ki Kheer
Gulgule (Meetha Pua)
Lauki Ki Kheer
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 200 gram (1 Cup) lotus nuts (foxnuts or makhana)
- ▢ 100 gram (½ Cup) desiccated coconut
- ▢ ¼ Cup almonds
- ▢ ¼ Cup pistachio
- ▢ ¼ Cup peanuts
- ▢ 1 tablespoon edible or herbal gum (gond)
- ▢ 2 teaspoon coriander seeds (dhaniya)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ▢ 2 teaspoon dry ginger powder (saunth)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ▢ 2 teaspoon cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- ▢ 4 tablespoon ghee
Ingredients for the sugar syrup
- ▢ 2 Cup sugar
- ▢ ½ Cup water
Instructions
- To prepare the Panjiri, a day before sun-dry all the dry fruits and edible gum. Store in an air-tight container.
- In a pan dry roast ajwain and coriander seeds till the aroma is released. This usually takes 20 – 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and grind to a coarse powder in a mixer. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
- Heat one tablespoon ghee in a heavy bottom kadhai over medium flame. Add gond/gum, fry till it pops up and expands in size absorbing the ghee. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Heat remaining ghee in the same skillet. Fry together lotus seeds, peanuts, dry fruits till they are crisp and crunchy. Turn off the heat. Transfer to a plate. Let the roasted nuts cool down a bit.
- Now in mixer make a coarse powder of roasted lotus seeds, dry fruits, peanuts, fried gond. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add desiccated coconut, cardamom powder, ginger powder, turmeric powder, powdered sugar, coriander seeds powder. Combine all together. Panjiri is ready for prasad.
- To make sugar syrup, heat sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir till the sugar dissolves.
- Let the sugar syrup simmer over medium heat. We need thick 1 to 2 thread consistency sugar syrup. A little bit thicker sugar syrup than what we need for Gulab Jamun .
- Keep on checking the sugar syrup if it has reach the desired consistency.
- Grease a large square baking sheet with a teaspoon of ghee.
- Once sugar syrup is ready, turn off the heat. Add the powdered ingredients mixture in the warm sugar syrup. Stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture in the baking tray of an inch thickness. Using a spatula or lightly wet fingers even out the surface of the mixture.
- At this stage, you can keep the tray in the fridge to get set or leave at room temperature as well. I usually keep it in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes. Once panjiri is set, using a sharp knife cut into squares.
- Store panjiri in an airtight container. The shelf life of Panjiri is usually a month or so.
Recipe Notes:
- This is a Pahadi style panjiri recipe . Adding turmeric is optional. In Pahadi style panjiri, turmeric is a must ingredient.
- Make sure to sun-dry all the spices, dry fruits, and the herbal gum a day or two before making the panjiri.
- Do not dry roast the spices for too long especially carom seeds. Else, they will taste bitter.
- Fry ingredients in batches and separately as suggested in the panjiri recipe and not all together.
- If you are not adding sugar syrup, then add ¼ cup powdered sugar in the panjiri mixture.
- Do not make a fine powder of the ingredients. Keep them coarse.
- You can store panjiri for a month at room temperature in an airtight container.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
