It’s so disappointing when a meal smells amazing but fails to deliver the flavor, texture, or satiety you were anticipating. That was the case with tonight’s matar paneer.
It was just missing – something. The sauce – what there was of it – lacked creaminess and spice. The paneer – my first try at making this type of very simple cheese – also lacked the texture and squeak we expected. The recipe I used recommended frying the cheese in ghee and then using it right away, which I didn’t do as I made it on Sunday for tonight’s dinner. Next time!
When I linked to the recipe on Facebook, a friend described it as “an Indian dish modified for American collegiate vegetarians.” It seems like this happens frequently with ethnic food – an amazing dish with complex flavors is dumbed down for the standard American pantry and/or palate. Granted, I doubt I’ve had really authentic Indian food – but I’m reasonably sure that this isn’t it. Fortunately, there are a lot of recipes out there to try, so I look forward to giving matar paneer another go – just not with this recipe.
Recipes:
Paneer from fxcuisine – made a half batch, as we really didn’t need a gallon’s worth
Matar Paneer from What’s 4 Eats
latterdaybohemian 
I think one of the things missing is toasting the spice blend in a dry skillet beforehand, and more spices. That’s made a huge difference in the dishes Kristina makes. Sadly, I think you also need to add a good amount of ghee, cream, and extra salt to get a flavor close to what restaurants serve. We still can’t make a satisfying dal makhani at home!
For the paneer texture, it looks a bit on the crumbly side. Try twisting/pressing more and draining longer and I think you’ll get the squeaky cheese that you wanted, without having to fry it. 🙂
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