Aloo Matar Paneer is a delicious curry or gravy dish featuring potatoes (aloo), green peas (matar), and Indian cottage cheese (paneer) cooked in a flavorful onion-tomato base. The recipe I make is a simple and easy one with a home-style taste. I pressure cook everything so that it saves time. But the entire dish can also be made in a pan. One of my favorite Paneer Recipes for sure.
Aloo Matar Paneer is a beloved North Indian dish that harmoniously combines three staple ingredients: potatoes (aloo), peas (matar), and paneer (Indian cottage cheese). This dish is a comforting, flavorful medley that’s perfect for any meal, bringing together the creamy texture of paneer, the tender bite of potatoes, and the sweet burst of peas in a richly spiced tomato-based gravy.
Other primary ingredients for Aloo Matar Paneer include onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chili that becomes a masala paste. A blend of spices such as cumin seeds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, fennel powder, garam masala powder, and kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is also added.
Table of Contents
This Aloo Matar Paneer is similar to the way I make Matar Paneer. In this recipe, I have used cream. You can also use malai or skip adding any of these entirely. I add cream to balance the tanginess of the tomatoes. No nuts are added but you can use some cashews or blanched almonds while making the onion-tomato paste.
In addition to this Aloo Matar Paneer, there are many more delicious recipes that are made by combining potatoes, green peas or paneer. Some of those that I have shared on my blog are Aloo Matar, Aloo Paneer and Mushroom Paneer.
You can serve the Aloo Matar Paneer with phulkas or plain parathas or jeera parathas or Naan or pooris. This dish also goes well with steamed rice or cumin rice or saffron rice. For a balanced meal, serve it with a side of fresh salad or a cooling raita.
How to make Aloo Matar Paneer
Make masala paste
1. In a blender or grinder take the following ingredients – ½ cup chopped onions, 1 cup tightly packed chopped tomatoes, 2 teaspoons chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic and 1 green chopped chili.
2. Without adding water, grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Meanwhile rinse and chop 200 grams potatoes to a slightly large size. Also, rinse ½ cup green peas. You can use fresh or frozen green peas. Chop 100 grams paneer into cubes and keep ready.
Sauté masala paste
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 2-liter stovetop pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
4. Keep heat to low and add the prepared masala paste.
5. As soon as you add the paste, quickly stir.
6. The paste splutters a lot, so cover the cooker partly with its lid keeping some open space at one side, so that the steam formed within gets an outlet.
7. Check in between, a couple of times, and give a stir.
8. Once the masala paste stops spluttering, add 2 tablespoons cream or malai.
Adding cream or malai is optional and can be skipped.
9. Next, add the following spices – ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon fennel powder (optional) and 1 teaspoon coriander powder.
10. Mix very well and continue to sauté the masala on low to medium heat.
11. Sauté till the masala thickens and you see oil releasing from the sides of the paste. Stir often, while sautéing.
Make Aloo Matar
12. Now, add ½ cup green peas (matar) and 1 to 1¼ cups diced potatoes. Chop the potatoes to a slightly large size.
13. Mix well and sauté for a minute.
14. Now, add 1 cup water. For a thick gravy, you can add ⅔ to ¾ cup water.
15. Mix again very well.
16. Add ¼ teaspoon sugar.
Sugar is optional and can be skipped.
17. Add salt as per taste.
18. Cover the pressure cooker and pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles or 6 to 7 minutes.
19. As soon as the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid.
Make Aloo Matar Paneer
20. Add ¾ to 1 cup cubed paneer.
21. The gravy will be bubbling hot, so the paneer cubes will get cooked in this gravy. Mix well.
22. Then, add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and ¼ teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi).
23. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
24. Serve Aloo Matar Paneer hot with chapatis or phulkas or parathas. This delicious curry also goes well with tandoori rotis or plain naans.
You can also serve it with steamed rice or jeera rice or Biryani Rice. While serving, you can also garnish with a bit of cream and some chopped coriander leaves.
More Paneer Recipes To Try!
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Aloo Matar Paneer
Ingredients
for masala paste
- 1 large onion or 85 grams onion or ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 large tomatoes or 190 grams tomatoes or 1 cup tightly packed tomatoes
- 2 inch ginger or 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
- 6 garlic cloves or 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1 green chili – chopped
other ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons cream or malai – optional
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon fennel powder – optional
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ cup green peas or 100 grams green peas
- 1 to 1.25 cups diced potatoes or 200 grams potatoes
- 1 cup water
- ¼ teaspoon sugar – optional
- salt as required
- ¾ cup paneer (cubed) or 100 grams paneer
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ¼ teaspoon kasuri methi, crushed (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- 1 tablespoon cream for garnish – optional
- a few chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
making onion-tomato masala paste
- In a blender or grinder take ½ cup chopped onions, 1 cup tightly packed tomatoes, 2 teaspoons chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic and 1 green chili, chopped.
- Without adding any water grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
- Meanwhile rinse and chop potatoes to a slightly large size. Also rinse green peas. You can use fresh or frozen green peas. Chop paneer into cubes and keep ready.
making aloo matar paneer
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 2 litre pressure cooker.
- Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Keep the flame to a low and then add the ground onion-tomato paste.
- As soon as you add the paste, quickly stir.
- The paste splutters a lot, so cover the cooker partly with its lid keeping some open space at one side, so that the steam formed within gets an outlet.
- Do check in between a couple of times and give a stir.
- Once the masala paste stops spluttering, then add 2 tablespoons cream or malai.
- Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon fennel powder (optional) and 1 teaspoon coriander powder.
- Mix very well and continue to saute the masala on a low to medium flame.
- Saute till masala thickens and you see oil releasing from the sides of the paste. Stir often while sautéing.
- Now add ½ cup green peas and 1 to 1.25 cups diced potatoes.
- Mix well and saute for a minute.
- Add 1 cup water. For a thick gravy you can add ⅔ to ¾ cup water. mix again very well.
- Add ¼ teaspoon sugar. Sugar is optional and can be skipped.
- Add salt as per taste. cover the cooker and pressure cook for 6 to 7 minutes or for 2 whistles on medium flame.
- As soon as the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid.
- Add ¾ to 1 cup paneer cubes.
- The gravy will be bubbling hot, so the paneer cubes will get cooked in this gravy. Mix well.
- Then add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and ¼ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves).
- Lastly add 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves. Mix again well.
- Serve aloo matar paneer gravy with chapatis, phulkas or parathas. This delicious curry also goes well with tandoori roti or naan.
- You can also serve with steamed rice, cumin rice or saffron rice. While serving aloo matar paneer, optionally you can garnish with a bit of cream and a few chopped coriander leaves.
