Instant Pot matar paneer
Sweet green peas and tender paneer in a fragrant onion and tomato curry, a North Indian home-cooking staple that comes together in about 40 minutes.
- 40 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.74 a serving
- 740 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
- 14 oz paneer, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1½ cups frozen peas
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¾ cups water, divided
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Each serving has about 740 calories, 31 g protein, 74 g carbs and 36 g fat, and costs about $2.74 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No frozen peas? Frozen mixed vegetables work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion, the garlic and the ginger. Cut the paneer into ¾-inch .
Finely chop. Finely chopping means cutting food into small pieces, a little bigger than minced, about the size of a lentil. Small pieces spread their flavor through the dish and cook quickly.
How you’ll know: Nothing is bigger than a lentil, and the pile looks like confetti rather than paste.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
the rice until the water runs almost clear. Put it in a with 2¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the burner and leave the lid on until you serve.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Set the Instant Pot to and heat the oil. Add the cumin for 20 seconds, then the onion, and cook, stirring, until , about 6 minutes.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 6 min
Stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne for 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 1 min
Pour in ½ cup water and scrape the bottom clean, then add the tomatoes with their juice and the rest of the salt.
Dolly’s tip: Scraping the bottom clean now is what keeps the pot from flashing a Burn warning.Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes, then quick release.
Timer: 4 min
Switch to . Stir in the paneer, peas and cream and 4 to 5 minutes, until the peas are bright green and the paneer is soft.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Timer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Mash a few spoonfuls of the sauce against the side of the pot if you like it thicker.Fluff the rice and serve the matar paneer over it, topped with cilantro.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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