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Matar paneer with soft paneer cubes, sweet green peas, spiced tomato sauce, cilantro, and cream swirl
TrendyTadka Editorial

Instant Pot Matar Paneer (Peas & Paneer Curry)

A streamlined 25-minute Instant Pot matar paneer (peas and paneer curry) that pressure-cooks the spiced tomato base, then gently poaches paneer cubes and peas off-pressure.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • 12 ounces 340 g packaged firm paneer, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika sweet or Kashmiri
  • 1 can 14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup frozen petite sweet peas
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream or unsweetened cashew cream
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Turn Instant Pot to Sauté. Warm oil and cook chopped onion 4 minutes until softened and light golden. Stir in ginger, garlic, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and paprika for 30 seconds.
  2. Press Cancel. Pour in water and scrape the stainless bottom thoroughly to remove any fond. Pour diced tomatoes over top; do not stir.
  3. Lock lid, set valve to Sealing, and select High Pressure for 3 minutes.
  4. Allow 5 minutes of natural release, then manually vent remaining steam.
  5. Carefully open lid. If desired, blend sauce with an immersion blender until smooth, keeping blade submerged.
  6. Turn on Sauté Low. Gently fold in frozen peas, heavy cream, kosher salt, and paneer cubes. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until paneer is soft and heated through (do not boil hard).
  7. Press Cancel. Stir in lemon juice, garnish with cilantro, and serve warm.

Notes

Paneer turns rubbery if pressure-cooked; always fold it in after pressure release so it warms gently. Frozen peas need only 2 minutes in the hot sauce. Blending the sauce is optional for a silky restaurant finish.