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Matar Paneer I

Paneer cubes simmered with onions, tomatoes, peas, and spices.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 16 ingredients
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Why it works: Ginger and turmeric match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,776 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Matar Paneer I

Time10–15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the gravy

  1. Add cumin seeds to warm oil and let it sizzle.

  2. Add onions and fry until they turn slightly brown.

  3. Add green chillies and tomatoes and cook until the juices dry up and a thick consistency forms.

  4. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric, and salt; cook until fragrant and the spices blend in nicely.

  5. Add water and bring to a boil.

Finish and serve

  1. Throw in paneer pieces and peas, cover, and cook for 10–15 minutes.

  2. Sprinkle garam masala and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

  3. Serve warm with rotis or naan.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

370Calories
18 gProtein
20 gFat
33 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 13 ingredients. The other 4 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cottage Cheese1/2 cup (113g) 2%98
Pea1/2 cup (72g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Paneernot in our table0
Coriandernot in our table0
Seednot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Ginger + turmerictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,776 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  4. Garlic + turmerictop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,363 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Ginger + garlictop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,402 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Paneer
Firm cheese cubes that hold their shape and add a soft, milky bite to the dish.
Onions
Form the sweet, savoury base of the gravy as they soften and brown.
Tomatoes
Add acidity and body, thickening into the sauce as their juices reduce.
Peas
Add sweetness and a tender texture that contrasts with the paneer.
Tomato paste
Concentrates tomato flavour and deepens the colour and richness of the gravy.

The step that matters

Cooking the tomatoes until the juices dry up. Cooking tomatoes down until thick concentrates their sugars and acids and removes excess water. If the gravy stays watery, the sauce will taste thin and dilute.

Swap the peas

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (paneer, cottage cheese, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, turmeric):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Cashew nutfits better
  3. Lentilsfits better
  4. Peasthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against paneer, cottage cheese, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, turmeric. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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