Mathi Matar Malai Paneer (Fenugreek Peas Creamy Paneer)

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This is the most delicious, creamy and utterly gorgeous recipe for fresh fenugreek, green peas and paneer cooked in a lovely creamy curry. If you can’t get paneer or fenugreek, these can be left out or replaced with tofu or cauliflower.

Ingredients
3 large onions, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oil
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly sliced
20 cashew nuts
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red/green chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
1 large bay leaf
½ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 bunch fenugreek cut from stems
200g frozen/fresh peas
2 blocks paneer (450g), cut into pieces
2 tbsp double cream

Method
– Add the oil to a hot pan and stir fry the onions.

– Add the garlic, ginger and cashew nuts and stir through. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until they soften up and start to colour.

– Add the tomatoes and chilli powder, stir through, increase the heat and cook for another 10 minutes.

– Remove from the heat, add to a blender and blitz to a smooth paste.

– Add butter to the pan and let it melt.

– Add a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cardamom pods and let it sizzle.

– Add in the puree, using a drop of water to help remove it from the blender.

– Mix through, cover and cook on low-medium heat for half an hour, stirring halfway through.

– If it starts to stick to the pan, add a little water to stop it burning.

– The paste should change from a pale orange to a deeper, rusty colour.

– Add the salt, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander.

– Remove from the heat and stir through the yoghurt.

– Add another 100ml of water and stir in.

– Add the fenugreek and peas and another 100ml of water.

– Add the paneer and stir through.

– Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

– After this, pour the double cream onto the curry and stir in.

Serve with some naan or a chapati.