Diwali, the Indian festival of light, is in tso weeks and we suggest you celebrate with this delicious mattar paneer, which light up your night. This curry house worthy recipe is from Dishoom: the first ever cookbook from the much-loved indian restaurant.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1hr 20 minutes
Makes: Enough for 2
Ingredients:
Onion-Tomato Masala:
150ml vegetable oil
600g white onions
18g garlic paste
15g ginger paste
1 tsp mild chilli powder
15g tomato puree
1tsp salt
300g tinned chopped tomatoes
Mattar paneer:
300g tomato-onion masala
1/4tsp salt
30g tomato puree
1/3tsp sugar
1/3tsp garam masala
1/4tsp cumin
100g peas
200g paneer
120ml water
75ml cream
1. Make that masala
First, find yourself some air tight goggles at the ready, and get to finely dicing your 600g onions.
Once all the onions have been diced, you'll know it's time because tears will be streaming down your face, heat a large pan over a medium high heat. Once warmed add the 150ml vegetable oil and warm it up. Then add all the evil little onions to the pot, sizzle them and get your revenge.
Cook them on a high heat for 30-40 minutes. Stirring them frequently, making sure they don't burn. Cook until light brown and caramelized.
To make the garlic and ginger pastes chippy chop both ingredients finely and add enough oil to make it into a paste.
When your onions are looking like they've spent a holiday in Malaga, add your ginger paste and garlic paste and cook until also nice and brown. Then add in 15g tomato puree, 1tsp mild chilli powder and a tsp salt. Cook for 2 minutes. Never stop stirring sister.
Once that's all added in, poor in your 300g chopped tomatoes. Stir and keep on stirring for 20 minutes. Carpal tunnel is a small price to pay for how tasty this masala paste is.
2. The Matter of the Mattar
In a large frying pan heat your 300g of masala paste.
Once warmed up, add 1/4tsp salt, 30g tomato puree,1/3tsp sugar, 1/3tsp garam masala and 1/4tsp cumin. Cook on a medium heat for ten minutes, letting all the flavours mingle together to transformation Tuesday your masala.
Add the 100g of peas and 120ml of water. Mix and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes.
In the meantime cut your 200g of paneer into 2cm by 2cm cubes (put your tape measure away, estimates of 2cm are allowed). After the peas have had their 5 minutes in the limelight, add in the paneer cubes. Stir gently, like stroking a tiny puppy, so you don't break up the paneer. Cook for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes, your curry is practically finished. Just add 75ml cream, stir in, and bring to a simmery simmer.
Serve with rice, or naan. Or both!
Grab a tasty chunk of paneer and some sauce and dink and sink!
Food for Thought
Lizzy says: "This was honestly a gift from curry heaven, and I will keep swearing that it was better than any professionally made curry (no offence every Indian restaurant I've ever eaten at) I've had. It was surprisingly sweet and very rich and creamy. Obviously we didn't add much spice, but it was still packed with flavour. I used some left over masala paste to whip up a quick jalfrezzi with some left over veg, and that was also to die for. 10/10 definitely worth the effort."
Kate says: "I cried buckets chopping all the onions for this recipe, but once that painful step is out the way it's plain sailing to a delicious dinner. The sauce is so good and flavourful, punctuated by little bursts of cheese and peas. Making the masala was the most time-consuming part and is probably a good weekend activity. If you have any leftover you can then keep it in your freezer for whenever you're in the mood for a speedy curry. 10/10 "
10/10 Gasps