Matar paneer masala is a delicious, home‑style North Indian curry made with soft paneer, green peas, and a rich onion‑tomato gravy. Using a pressure cooker, this matar paneer comes together quickly while still delivering the rich, deeply flavoured taste of traditional home-style curry.
It's festive yet light, much like a cozy matar mushroom masala.
It's one of those dishes that instantly reminds you of home, soft paneer, sweet little peas, and a cozy tomato‑onion gravy that smells amazing even before it hits the table.
🔍 Quick Look: Matar Paneer
- ⏱️ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍳 Servings: 6
- 📊 Calories: ~421kcal per serving
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 📌Highlight: Paneer and green peas make this a satisfying meatless meal for the whole family
It's simple, it's familiar, and it's the kind of curry you make when you want real flavour without fuss. If you're in the mood for more home‑style vegetarian curries, curried peas, potato curry, and rajma masala are lovely next options.
⭐Why you'll💖this recipe
- Perfect meatless option for festivities or special occasions.
- Ready in under 30 minutes.
- Easy to cook in a pressure cooker.
- A wholesome vegetarian curry packed with protein.
- Great for weeknight dinners, lunchboxes, and potlucks.
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📋Ingredients
The following are the items needed to make this Indian cottage cheese with curried peas:
Use fresh paneer (Indian cottage cheese) for the best texture. Rinse the paneer thoroughly with lukewarm water, then cut it into bite-sized cubes. Shallow-fry the cubes in a little oil until they release some moisture and develop a light golden color.
If you prefer softer, less-fried paneer, you can skip the frying step and add the paneer directly to the curry.
I prefer using frozen peas because they're so convenient. You can simply throw them straight into the curry without thawing them first. Feel free to use fresh peas if you have them on hand - just adjust the cooking time as needed.
For the curry base, I use a blended paste of onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic. If you already have this masala paste ready, you can skip making the curry base from scratch and save some time. Check out my post on curry masala paste to learn how to make it ahead of time and keep it handy for quick meals.
See the recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳How to make matar paneer in a cooker?
Cut fresh paneer into bite-sized cubes. Soak them in warm water for 5-10 mins. Drain well, then heat a little oil in a pan and lightly fry the paneer until the edges turn golden. Remove and set aside.
Roughly chop the onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic, then add them to a blender jar. Blend everything into a smooth puree.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the prepared puree and all the spices to the pressure cooker. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook for 2-3 whistles.
Open the pressure cooker and simmer the masala uncovered for 3-5 minutes. Once the masala is cooked, add the frozen peas and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Next, add water as per the desired curry consistency. Mix well. Gently add the fried paneer cubes and simmer for 1 minute, allowing the paneer to absorb the flavours.
Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and cook until one whistle. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally before opening the cooker. Adjust the spices or consistency if required.
Add fresh coriander leaves and drizzle with 2-ingredient chilli oil for an extra kick of chilli heat just before serving. Serve hot.
❄️Storage
Store leftover matar paneer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, warm gently on the stovetop and add a splash of water if the gravy becomes thick.
🥄Serving Suggestions
Enjoy matar paneer with paratha, naan, wheat roti, and jeera rice.
Pair with a simple cucumber-beet salad, tomato, and onion salad for a refreshing crunch.
Serve with a fresh coriander-mint chutney, garlic chutney, and tomato-onion chutney for an extra burst of flavour.
📝Tips
Avoid deep-frying paneer, as it can make it chewy.
Add paneer in the last stage.
Do not overcook frozen peas as they can become mushy.
Cook the onion-tomato masala well before adding water.
Adjust the water quantity depending on your curry preference.
✨More Paneer Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🧾Recipe
Pressure Cooker Matar Paneer (Peas & Cottage Cheese Curry)
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Ingredients
- 500 g Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese)
- 350 g Green peas
- 4 Onions
- 3 Tomatoes
- 4 inch Ginger
- 1 pod Garlic
- 4 tablespoon Oil
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Red chilli
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Corainder powder
- 2 teaspoon Garam masala
- 5 Black peppercorns
- 3-4 Bay leaves
- 3 cups Water
Instructions
- Cut fresh paneer into bite-sized cubes and soak them in warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Roughly chop the onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic, then add them to a blender jar. Blend everything into a smooth puree.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Add the prepared puree and all the spices to the pressure cooker. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook for 2-3 whistles.
- Meanwhile, heat a small amount of oil in another pan and lightly fry the paneer cubes until they turn slightly golden on the outside. Place it aside.
- Open the pressure cooker and simmer the masala uncovered for 3-5 minutes. Once the masala is cooked, add the frozen peas and cook for2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add water as per the required curry consistency. Mix well.
- Gently add the fried paneer cubes and simmer for 1 minute, allowing the paneer to absorb the flavours.
- Cover the pressure cooker with a lid and cook until one whistle.
- Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally before opening the cooker. Adjust the spices or consistency if required.
- Add fresh coriander leaves and drizzle with 2-ingredient chilli oil for an extra kick of chilli heat just before serving.
- Serve matar paneer hot with bread, naan, roti or rice.
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Notes
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