Kitty Aunty’s Mutter Paneer Recipe

Here is the recipe for the Mutter Paneer (Indian dish with cheese, tomat0-based sauce and peas) that I learned from Kitty Aunty on August 17, 2006.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Vegetable cooking oil (Kitty Aunty used unrefined corn oil)

2-3 teaspoons homemade Garlic/Ginger paste

      -1 inch ginger

      -2 green chilies

      -1/4 bunch chopped cilantro

      -1 clove garlic

      -blend in food processotr

½ teaspoon dry fenugreek

1 medium onion chopped

1 ½ medium tomatoes, chopped and microwaved for 2-3 minutes (or use capped Pacific organic tomatoes)

1 teaspoon paprika

½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper for spice (add extra cayenne pepper or green chili for more spice)

½ – 1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin (dry roast the cumin, then blend in a coffee grinder, you can keep in a jar for long periods of time), you can lessen amount if you don’t like or omit entirely

1 teaspoon roasted ground coriander, lessen if you don’t like

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon homemade masala

½ block of store-bought paneer (or use fresh paneer, recipe found below)

½ – 1 cup fresh or frozen peas

Directions:

-Heat oil in saucepan (medium heat, depending on quality of pan)

-Add ground cardamom

-Add garlic/ginger paste, let simmer for a few minutes

-Add dried fenugreek and chopped onion

-Let simmer 5-10 minutes, or until the onions don’t smell raw

-Cut the tomatoes, and then put in microwave for 2-3 minutes

-Add paprika, cayenne, cumin, and coriander

-Add water if the ingredients are sticking to the pan

-Add cilantro

-Add chopped tomatoes, and lower the heat a bit

-Let simmer so flavors blend (few minutes)

-Then put in a food processor/chopper, until consistency is like gravy

-Put back in pan, and add salt to taste

-Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream.  Turn up heat and stir vigorously until mixture bubbles

-Keep stirring after bubbling and add homemade masala

-Then add peas, stir and cover, lower heat to medium/low.

-Stir periodically and add water if looks dry.  Let simmer for 10 minutes.

-Uncover and stir until smells cooked. 

-Stir in paneer, cover and let simmer for 3-4 minutes for flavor to set in paneer.