Curries and stews
Matar paneer
An everyday North Indian curry of green peas and paneer in a spiced tomato and onion gravy.
Matar paneer is a home-style curry of green peas, matar, and cubes of paneer in a gravy of tomato, onion, ginger, garlic and spices. It is one of the most widely cooked paneer dishes in North Indian homes, and is especially loved in winter when fresh peas are in season. It is eaten with roti, paratha or rice.
What goes in
- Paneer529%, Cubes, fried or raw.
- Green peas529%, Fresh in winter.
- Tomato and onion424%, The gravy.
- Ginger, garlic and chilli16%, Aromatics.
- Ground spices16%, Cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala.
- Oil or ghee16%, For frying.
Rough parts by weight. The ring shows each ingredient's share of the dish.
Made step by step
Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Quantities and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional way, in outline.
Step 1: Fry Cube the paneer and fry lightly, then soak in warm water. Step 2: Fry Fry cumin, onion, ginger and garlic until golden. Step 3: Simmer Add tomato and spices and cook until the oil separates. Step 4: Simmer Add peas and water and simmer until the peas are tender. Step 5: Simmer Add the paneer and simmer a few minutes more. Step 6: Serve Finish with garam masala and coriander leaves. Finished Matar paneer, by share.
A winter dish
In the north Indian plains, fresh green peas come into the markets from about November to February, and households cook them in everything. Matar paneer is a favourite way to use them, and it appears at weddings and festivals as well as everyday meals. Outside the season, frozen peas have made it a year-round dish in homes and restaurants.
Cooking the paneer
Some cooks fry the paneer cubes until golden and soak them in warm water so they stay soft; others add the paneer raw. The gravy is usually medium-spiced, with cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli and garam masala. The texture can be thin and soupy, as in many homes, or thick and creamy, as in restaurants. A handful of coriander leaves finishes it.
Where it is used
The cheeses in it
More on EveryCheese
No cheeses here yet. New pages are added every day.
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are a rough, illustrative ratio, not a recipe: every family and kitchen makes it differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Paneer: Sonja Pauen - Stanhopea, CC BY 2.0 de, source