Recipe- Perfect For Dinner Paneer Matar Kofta

A rich delicious paneer gravy dish. we all have grown up eating, enjoying and loving Matar paneer in winters to ours hearts content. This recipe is a glamorized version of our simpleMatar paneer.

Ingredients

250 gmspaneer
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cornflour/ arrowroot ( I have used cornflour. original recipe calls for arrowroot)
1 cup fresh peas
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chili powder

For Gravy

2 onions chopped (optional. you can make this without onions also)
3 tomatoes chopped
10 cashews
1 tbsp +1 tsp ghee
2 bay leaves
1 small stick cinnamon
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
1 tbsp fresh cream

Optional

1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp degi mirch
This step is optional. if you want to make gravy look rich and spicy

Method

- Soak cashews in water. hang paneer in a muslin cloth for 15-20 minutes to remove water.

- Wash peas thoroughly. puree these in the blender to a fine paste.

- Brush oil on a nonstick pan. Cook peas paste on medium to low heat till all the moisture dries and we get thick peas paste. Add salt, red chili powder and mix.

- Take a muslin/cotton cloth and start mashing paneer with the cloth so that all the moisture is absorbed by the cloth. this is an essential step.

- If there is moisture in paneer we will have to add more cornflour or arrowroot to paneer for the kofta to hold its shape.

- Keep on turning the folds of cloth or you can also change the cloth when it becomes completely soaked.

- When paneer is completely mashed and not grainy anymore then add salt, pepper, and corn flour to it. Mix thoroughly.

- Both mixtures are ready for making koftas. Keep a pan of water to boil.

- In the meantime start making Koftas. Take a ball of paneer.

- Press it with your fingers to flatten it. keep 1 tsp of peas mixture in the center and fold the sides to cover paneer.

- Fold the ball and give it the desired shape. You can make them round or oblong as you wish.

- When all the koftas are ready to drop them gently one by one in the boiling water.

- Let them boil for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame, take them gently out and leave them on a slotted thali to drain.

- Do not throw away the water that you have used for boiling kofta. this water you can add in gravy as it has some paneer in it.

To Make Gravy

- While your koftas are boiling. you can Saute onions in 1 tsp of oil. Grind onions, tomatoes and soaked cashews in a blender and make a fine puree.

- Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan. Add bay leaves and cinnamon. Now add red chili powder, dhania powder, and salt.

- Add the puree in the ghee and cook it for some time.

- When ghee separates and the gravy starts coming together add cream.

- Add water that we have retained and add to get the desired consistency.

- Add koftas in the end and give it a boil.