Rich, creamy, fragrant. The matar paneer your family will ask for by name. Finished with a pinch
of Sarveshwari Premium Garam Masala — the secret that changes everything.

Every great dish has a last moment

Not the longest moment. Not the loudest. The last one — the quiet step just before the lid goes on and the flame goes off. The one that most recipes do not tell you about because it is not technically part of the cooking. It is the finishing. And in Indian cooking, finishing is an art.

Sarveshwari Premi um Garam Masala was made for exactly this moment

Not to be cooked. Not to be simmered. To be added — a single pinch — to a dish that is already ready. The flame turned off. The lid placed on. And in the quiet heat that follows, something extraordinary happens. The whole spices in this blend — each sourced from its native region across India, each selected for its aromatic potency rather than just its flavour — bloom in the residual steam. They perfume the entire dish from within. They round every flavour. They add a top note of warmth and fragrance that no amount of cooking could produce.

This matar paneer recipe is built around that moment. Everything before it is important. That pinch at the end is everything.

The Story of Premium Garam Masala

Garam masala is India’s finishing spice. It has been used this way for centuries — added at the end of a dish, in a small quantit y, to add a final layer of aroma and warmth that ties all the other flavours together.

Sarveshwari Premium Garam Masala honours this tradition without shortcutting it. Every spice in this blend — cardamom from Kerala, black pepper from Wayanad, cinnamon from Coorg, cloves, mace, nutmeg — is sourced directly from its place of origin and selected for its aromatic quality above everything else. The blend is ground to a consistency that releases its fu ll fragrance the moment it meets heat — even residual heat.

One pinch. The flame off. The lid on. That is all it needs. And that is all your matar paneer needs to go from very good to completely bemisal.

Ingredients You Will Need

For the gravy :

• 2 medium o nions, finely chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, pureed
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• 1 tbsp butter
• Juice of half a lemon

The masala :

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder for colour
• Salt to taste

The main ingredients :

• 250g paneer, cut into cubes
• 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• ½ cup fresh cream or whisked yoghurt
• ½ cup water

The finish do not skip this :

• ½ tsp Sarveshwari Premium Garam Masala added after the flame is off
• A knob of butter
• Fresh coriander, generously chopped
• Crushed kasuri methi a pinch

How To Make It

Step 1 — The base Heat oil and butter together in a heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add the onions and cook on medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes until deep golden brown.

Step 2 — Ginger garlic and chillies Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies Cook for 2 minutes until completely raw smell is gone.

Step 3 — The masala Add turmeric, red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, and coriander powder. Cook in the hot oil for 2 full minutes — stirring continuously. The kashmiri chilli brings the deep orange red colour that great matar paneer is known for. Let it work.

Step 4 — Tomatoes Add the tomato puree. Cook on medium heat — stirring occasionally until — the oil separates from the masala. About 8 to 10 minutes. The base should be thick, fragran t, and deeply coloured.

Step 5 — Cream or yoghurt Lower the heat and add the cream or whisked yoghurt. Stir continuously for 2 minutes to incorporate it fully into the masala without it splitting. The gravy will turn a beautiful shade of coral orange.

Step 6 — Peas and paneer Add the green peas and water. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the paneer cubes — gently, so they do not break. Cover and cook on a low flame for 8 to 10 minutes until the peas are tender and the paneer has absorbed the flavour o f the gravy.

Step 7 — The moment this recipe was written for Turn the flame off completely. Add a knob of butter. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms and scatter it over the dish. Add the fresh coriander.

And now the finishing touch.

Add ½ teaspoon of Sarveshwari Premium Garam Masala directly on top of the dish. Do not stir it in. Place the lid on immediately and let it sit for 3 to 4 minutes.

In those few minutes, the residual heat and steam from the dish will bloom the garam masala completely — releasing its aromatic oils into the gravy, perfuming every cube of paneer, every green pea, the entire dish. When you open the lid, the fragrance that rises will tell you everything.

This is the moment. This is what the recipe was always leading to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips For Getting It Right

Do not rush the onion base

Matar paneer needs a deeply golden onion base to build its characteristic richness. Pale onions give you a flat gravy.

Add cream or yoghurt on low heat. High

High heat causes dairy to split and curdle. Lower the flame before adding and stir continuously for the first 2 minutes.

Do not break the paneer

Add paneer gently and stir the dish with care. Broken paneer pieces in a gravy are a texture problem that Sar veshwari Garam Masala cannot fix.

The lid off technique is everything

Add the garam masala only after the flame is completely off. This is not a suggestion — it is the entire point of using Premium Garam Masala as a finishing spice. Respect the technique and it will reward you every time.

Rest before serving

Three to four minutes under the closed lid is rest time for the dish. Do not lift the lid early. Let the garam masala do its work completely.

How To Serve

With butter naan — the richness of the gravy deserves an equally rich bread. With laccha paratha for a more layered, celebratory meal. Over steamed basmati rice for something simpler and deeply satisfying. As part of a full vegetarian thali with dal, rice, roti, raita, and p ickle. Or on its own — just the dish and a piece of bread — which is honestly enough.

Storage

Fridge : Up to 3 days in an airtight container. Cool completely before storing.

Reheat : Low flame with a small splash of water. When reheating — add a fresh pinch of Sarveshwari Premium Garam Masala after turning the flame off and before serving. The same technique. The same result. Every time.

Paneer : If reheating from cold, the paneer may firm up. This is normal — it softens again in the warm gravy within a minute or two.