Swaran Jawa's Mattar Paneer (OUTDATED)

This is AN OUTDATED VERSION Of this recipe. It was the latest version of this recipe as of 6/23/13.

Ingredients

• Onions: 3 normal yellow
• Vegetable oil: 6 tablespoons
• Garlic: 4 big cloves
• Ginger: 1inch chunk
• Tomato sauce : 15 oz can
• Frozen peas: 20 oz
• Whole Milk: 1 Gallon
• White vinegar: 4 tablespoons

Spices

• Tumeric: 1/2 tsp
• Salt: 3 tsp
• Red pepper: 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seed: 1/2 TBSP
• Coriander seeds or ground coriander: 1/2 TBSP
• Cinnamon sticks: 2 inches of thin sticks or 1 of thick stick
• Cloves: 4
• Brown cardamom pods: 2 - (best to get Indian cardamom from Indian food store)
• Nutmeg: pinch
• Mace: pinch

Equipment

• Food processor
• Spice/coffee grinder
• Cheesecloth
• Large cooking pot
• Large microwave safe bowl
• Frying pan

Instructions

1. Combine 2.5 cups of water with 1 unit of masala base (see below) in large pot
2. Add 20 oz frozen peas
3. Put on high
4. Add 3 teaspoons of salt
5. Add 1/4 teaspoons of red pepper
6. Cover, leave on medium
7. At some point when peas are close to done, add 1 heaping TBSP of gharam masala (see below)
8. When peas are wrinkled/shriveled, the gravy is done - put on low until paneer is ready (see below)
9. You can add a half cup of water if you want more watery
10. When the paneer is done (lightly fried) dump it in the gravy, stir it up a little & you're done!

Masala Base (gravy base)

NOTE: This makes 2 units of the masala gravy base. Save off half in refrigerator or freezer for later use.

1. Chop up onions really small in food processor (small diced)
2. Put onions into large pot and add 6 tablespoons oil & turn up to medium heat stirring occasionally
   • Oil is important to keep the bottom of the pot from becoming a mess of burnt onion.
   • For slower results put on medium heat & stir occasionally
   • If too dry add more oil, can be spooned out later
3. Chop up garlic cloves & ginger small in processor
4. Turn down onions to low, keep stirring - note slowly browning
5. When dark brown put in ginger/garlic mix
6. Put in 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric
7. When almost burnt, slowly start adding tomato sauce - keep stirring, waiting for oil to seperate? (spoon off?)
8. Put a little water in tomato can & slowly pour it in
9. NOTE you can always put on low & leave for a while at any stage
10. When deep reddish brown, it is done
11. USE HALF, REMOVE OTHER HALF & KEEP IN FREEZER FOR SOME OTHER TIME

Gharam Masala (spice mix)

NOTE: This makes 2 heaping TBSP of the spice mix. Save off half with your spices for later use.

1. Roast 1/2 tablespoon of cumin seed in a pan on the burner for a few minutes
2. Place the following ingredients in spice blender & grind until fine powder
   • 1/2 tablespoon of roasted cumin seed
   • 1/2 tablespoon of coriander seed
   • 2 inches of cinnamon thin sticks or 1 of thick stick
   • 4 cloves
   • 2 brown cardamoms - break pods & get seeds out (can only get at Indian store)
   • nutmeg & mace (pinch)
3. Use half of mix (1 heaping tablespoon) for 1 unit of masala base

Paneer (cheese):

1. Pour 3/4 gallon milk in large bowl (or all if you want more paneer! Yum!)
2. Microwave for 27-30 to BOIL (there will be a large bubble of air)
3. Stir in 4 tablespoons of white vinegar
4. Keep stirring
5. When cheese separates fully and gets clumpy (& liquid gets yellowish and clear) pour into collander with cheescloth
6. Squeeze out as much water as possible. The more water you get out, the better your paneer will be.
   • Initially squeeze out the water by hand, twisting the cheesecloth
   • Put the cheesecloth between two plates and squeeze the plates together as hard as you can.
   • Or, if you don't want to squeeze by hand, use my Mom's method instead: put cheesecloth between plates & stack books on it for a few hours
7. When cheese is firm & cohesive it is done - it should not be crumbly! should be like almost like tofu in terms of consistency
8. Put on a plate and slice into cubes - if it is crumbly, you did not press it enough
9. Put a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan at high & then put down to medium low
10. Drop cheese cubes one by one in at side of pan to lightly fry them
11. Dry cheese in cloth towel to remove oil
12. Rinse cheesecloth after use