Here's one more way to make the iconic Punjabi dish Mattar Paneer - this time with our jarred Punjabi masala curry starter and in the Instant Pot. Remember, this is a very brothy recipe made up essentially of Indian cheese - paneer and peas. So, you don't need long cook times as you would if you were cooking beans. Five minutes is enough. But, note that in the Instant Pot, the warm up time is 21 minutes. It's the perfect cook time to really pull all the flavors together without overcooking the ingredients. If you want to scale the recipe below up, simply double the ingredients. The cook time will stay the same, though the warm up time will increase because of the extra water. From my extensive testing for my new cookbook Instant Pot Indian, I discovered that when scaling a recipe up or down in the Instant Pot, the cook time generally remains the same, but the warm up time fluctuates.
If you don't want to make paneer (Indian cheese) from scratch at home, head to your grocer. These days, everyone is selling it, even Costco - who I think has some of the best paneer on the market - sold in 2-pound blocks. You can use half and freeze the rest. Pull it out and defrost it when you are ready to use it again.
For mattar paneer on the stovetop from scratch click here and for matter paneer on the stovetop using our Punjabi masala click here. Consider taking one of my virtual cooking classes by clicking here.
Instant Pot: Mattar Paneer with Our Punjabi Masala
Makes x cups (still need to calculate)
Pressure Cooker Size: 3 quart or larger
Warm Up: 21 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Cool Down: 10 minutes natural release + manual release
TOTAL: 36 minutes + manual release time
1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
2 black cardamom pods
1 (2-inch-long) cinnamon stick
1 pound paneer, diced into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)
3 cups frozen peas, slightly defrosted
2-4 Thai chiles or ½ - 1 serrano chile, stems removed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup Punjabi masala
1/4 cup unsalted tomato paste
2 tablespoons kasoori methi (dried fenugreek), hand crushed to release flavor
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons red chile powder or cayenne
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups water (still testing between 3 and 3 1/2)
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1. Place the inner pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add the ghee or oil and when warm, add the cumin, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon sticks. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Because the ghee/oil pools to the sides, push the spices into the ghee/oil along the border of the inner pot so they can cook fully.
2. Add the paneer. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Press CANCEL.
3. Add the peas, fresh chiles, Punjabi masala, tomato paste, kasoori methi, garam masala, coriander powder, red chile, salt, and water. Stir, breaking down the tomato paste with the back of your spoon or spatula.
4. Lock the lid into place and make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button and then press the PRESSURE LEVEL button until the panel reads HIGH. Adjust the cook time to 5 minutes.
5. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure manually, and press CANCEL Remove the lid and remove and discard the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon sticks. All the other spices are edible - the cloves are as well, so if you miss a few no worries. Add the cilantro and serve with basmati rice or Indian bread like roti or naan.
NOTE: I made this recipe using 4 1/2 cups water, but it was slightly too much, why I pulled it back to 3 cups. I will retest it to make sure it's right. If you feel that you need to add a touch of water, just do so after cooking and opening the lid. Add the water and warm it up using the SAUTE setting and simmer until it's the right consistency.
You may not be familiar with all of the spices that I've listed in the recipe and that is okay. Don't stress. Do you need every single one? No! And please make this recipe with whatever spices you do have on hand. But, once you collect them all and make your recipe you'll start to understand why we use them and in this combination. They layer to give you different nuggets of flavor. So each one gets you closer and closer to restaurant-quality cooking. The methi or dried fenugreek is one ingredients that can be very confusing. Keep in mind that we use it in just about all Punjabi cooking - even referring to it as the 'magic' ingredient in our stye of cooking. Here's a video that will explain more from my YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe.
[[ recipeID=recipe-9lyrd1xl2, title=Instant Pot: Mattar Paneer with Our Punjabi Masala ]]
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