Mattar Paneer

Ingredients (serves 5)

• 750gms mattar (green peas)
• 250gms paneer cubed, shallow fry in 1tspn little butter)
• 4tspn butter
• 1.5inch ginger, grated
• 2tspn fresh ginger garlic paste (1:4 ginger to garlic)
• 1/2tspn cumin seeds
• 1/2 tspn red chilli power
• 1.5 tspn coriander powder
• .5tspn cumin powder
• 1/2 cup pre-fried onions, blended
• 2 medium tomatoes, pureed
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3tspn Kitchen King masala
• 4tbpsn sunflower oil
• 1tspn kasuri methi (or dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 small piece coal, 1 tspn oil
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves

Method

1. Heat 1 tspn butter. Shallow fry paneer cubes till they turn golden. Set aside.
2. Heat oil and remaining butter in a wok. Add cumin seeds.
3. When seeds start spluttering, add grated ginger and fry for 1 minute.
4. Add onion and fry till pinkish.
5. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for further 2mins.
6. Turn heat to low. Add all dry masalas and cook for 5mins or till raw smell of masala is gone.
7. Add pre-fried onion paste and fry for 2mins.
8. Add blended tomatoes and fry for another 2mins
9. Add peas and cook till almost soft. Now add the paneer. Add hot water if needed to adjust thickness of the sauce.
10. Below steps are optional but they give this curry a delicious smoked flavor.
    1. Heat coal directly on a flame till it turns red (Do this right at the start as the coal will take a while to heat up)
    2. Place a small bowl in the center of the wok (make sure the sauce doesn’t enter this bowl).
    3. Put the hot coal into this bowl, add 1tspn oil on the coal (it will start smoking). Immediately cover the wok and leave for 3mins.
    4. Uncover the wok, remove the bowl and discard the coal.
11. Add kasuri methi and stir through.
12. Adjust salt and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
13. Serve with fresh roti or rice!