The first recipe I can find in email from Mama is mutter paneer, and it is also the dish we made together on her last visit, when she asked me what a blog is. It seems perfect for starting this blog of her recipes. Mutter paneer translates literally to "peas cheese", paneer being a home-made country cheese much like cottage cheese. Luckily, nowadays you can purchase paneer in supermarkets; my local one even has pre-fried cubes, exactly what the traditional version of this recipe calls for. You may also use firm tofu in the place of paneer.
Ingredients
2 or 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 packet of frozen peas, or about 10 - 12 ozs
1 packet fried paneer (now available in some supermarkets), or about 8 ozs of fresh paneer
1 large onion
3 or 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon of ginger, diced
1 green chili, diced (optional)
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 can of tomato paste, about 6 – 8 oz
1 tablespoon of parsley or cilantro, finely cut to garnish
1/8 cup of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon red ground pepper (to taste)
2 teaspoons of coriander (powder)
1/2 teaspoon of tumeric (powder)
2 – 3 cups of hot water, to add to the curry
Method
1. Fry ginger and cumin seeds in 3 tablespoons oil on high heat, until golden.
2. Use the onions, garlic, and spices to make the onion-garlic paste, as detailed in a previous post.
3. Add cut up tomatoes and fry till the oil starts separating from the paste. Stir frequently to avoid burning the bottom of the pan.
4. Add potatoes, stir, and cook on controlled heat. You may have to put a thick griddle under the pan to evenly spread the heat and save the pan from burning- almost like simmering in its steam and stirring only occasionally.
5. Just 5 - 7 minutes before the potatoes are ready, add peas and the fried paneer and stir well.
6. Add the steaming hot water depending on how thin or thick the paste you want. Always start with lesser amount of water. Let it simmer till the peas are done & paneer cubes have puffed up and are soft.
Serve hot with chapatti, naan, or puri. Yogurt raita, of any kind, and mint chutney make excellent accompaniments. Enjoy!
