Fenugreek Green Peas and Cottage Cheese

Fried Paneer

Methi Matar Paneer is a flavorful dish that has fenugreek leaves (Methi), green peas (Matar) and Indian cottage cheese (Paneer). It's traditionally cooked in North India, but has become so popular that one can find variations of it all over India and in most Indian restaurants around the world. This dish is heavily spiced, and has a real medley of sapidity. The spices are cooked to mellow it's spiciness but it still leaves a sharp twang on ones tongue. It isn't a very quick recipe, but it's still something easy that can be done on a weekday. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Methi Matar Paneer

Methi Matar Paneer

1 bag frozen peas, thawed

400 gms cottage cheese, cubed

1/2 can tomato sauce

1/2 bunch fenugreek leaves
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp heaped ginger paste
1 tsp heaped garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 bunch cilantro, large stems removed and chopped

Fenugreek Leaves, Green Peas, and Cottage Cheese

Fry the cottage cheese in a little hot oil, in a pot. Brown on all sides and then remove and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary, heat and then put in the onion. Cook till it the edges start to brown. Stir in the ginger and garlic pastes, and cook till no longer pungent. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for a minute or so. Next add in all the powdered spices and salt. Put in the fenugreek leaves, and stir.
Once the leaves have wilted, add in the green peas. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas are cooked. Remove cover and allow the dish to dry out, stirring frequently to stop it from burning. Put in the fried cottage cheese for the last 4 to 5 minutes of cooking, and then garnish heavily with the cilantro.  

Palak Paneer

Apparently, my husband is a big fan of Palak Paneer (Palak translates to spinach and Paneer, a form of cottage cheese), so when he saw it in Anupy Singla’s book The Indian Slow Cooker, he asked me to make it. The recipe is extremely easy, so go ahead and try it. It results in a nice spicy dish, so if you want a toned-down version, you should use half of my quantities of chili powder, chilies, and garam masala. Also, like Ms. Singla says in her book, you do need to cook it for about 2 hours after it’s been blended, so that the spices have a chance to finish cooking.  

Palak Paneer ingredients going into the slow cooker

Palak Paneer

2 lbs fresh spinach, washed and drained

2 onions, chopped into 10-14 pieces

2 tomatoes, chopped into 10-14 pieces

1 4” piece of ginger, chopped up

1 large pod garlic, cleaned

2-3 chilies, stems removed

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp (heaped) chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

12 oz paneer, cut into pieces

Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker except the paneer. Cook on high for 3 hours, stirring once or twice. Check that the onions are soft, if so, switch off and blend using an immersion blender or food processor, till the vegetables are smooth. Place back into the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on low. Put in the paneer about 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with chapatti.