MATAR PANEER BHURJEE / मटर पनीर भुरजी (Scrambled Cottage Cheese & Green Pea Curry)

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Oh how I love winters!? Yeah, those regular here must be raising an eyebrow at my statement since my previous ‘winter posts’, claim otherwise. They excite me for reasons best known to foodiesthe produce. I am heavily biased towards the winter veggies rather than the fruits – the mustard greens, spinach, peas, turnips, radish, fenugreek greens, carrots…oh I could write an ode to the nature’s winter bounty and sing paeans about it. Yeah, I got somewhat carried away. Don’t get me wrong, I love summers too but mostly for its luscious juicy fruits; veggies I am not too fond of. Today I bring to you a humble yet classic Punjabi dish, Matar Paneer (Green Peas and Cottage Cheese Curry) but in a bhurjee style i.e. scrambled way. It was, is and always will be amongst my top ten favourite dishes. This dish used to be a regular feature in my lunch pack to school and it reminds me of those simpler times when everything about life looked promising and rosy. This dish too seems to belong to those simpler timescompletely unpretentious. The dish does not rely on ‘heavy’ curry or whole garam masala and neither does it get weighed down by addition of any cream or butter which is typical of Punjabi cuisine. Don’t be fooled by its humble appearance; it is packed with flavours. It also happens to be versatile in the sense that it can be served as a curry with chapatti or served with toasted bread for breakfast and even used as filling for making jaffles (after all the liquid has been absorbed by the paneer).

You would need

1½ C Crumbled Paneer

1½ tbsp Oil

¼ tsp Cumin Seeds

1/3 C finely chopped Onion

¾ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 Green Chili, finely chopped

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Red chili powder to taste

Salt to taste

½ tsp Garam Masala

3 – 4 tbsp Milk (or as required)

1 tbsp chopped, fresh Cilantro

Dash of lemon (if required)

Take a pan and put it on medium heat. Add oil to the pan and when it becomes hot (not smoking) add cumin seeds. When they begin to crackle, tip in the onions. Sauté till the onions become translucent. Add the chopped green chilies and ginger garlic paste and add two tablespoons of water to prevent it from sticking or burning. Sauté till the paste becomes aromatic. Reduce the heat and add salt, red chili powder and garam masala. Mix well and add crumbled paneer. Add milk to soften the paneer and cook for half a minute more. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve. Add a dash of lime if you wish to. Easy peasy quick n healthy!

Note: If you intend to serve the bhurjee with chapatti, add a little whey (from paneer) or water and a few table spoons more of milk to loosen/ soften the paneer. And if serving as a topping/ spread with bread, this much amount of milk would suffice. Adjust the consistency to how you would prefer to serve it. The first and last pic will give you an idea what I am talking about.

Note: Some people prefer to use a little turmeric to the curry along with other spices when they wish serve it with chapatti.  I guess it has more to do with the color than taste.

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You may also like to check out these spreads/ toppings for your toasted bread,

Soy Cheese Spread 

Cilantro Egg Mayo Sandwich (Egg Salad)

Methi Makai Matar Malai (Creamy Peas & Corn w/ Fenugreek)

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18 thoughts on “MATAR PANEER BHURJEE / मटर पनीर भुरजी (Scrambled Cottage Cheese & Green Pea Curry)

  1. Did you cook the green peas separately and added to it for garnish or did you cook it with the onions? I never tried making the bhurjee of paneer, my usual is egg bhurjee which my kids love with chapathi. This looks simple and yummy, I have to try it as it can be prepared in a jiffy if the paneer is all ready to go.

    1. Shibi, I did use boiled peas and the ones you see on the top are of course for garnish. However, you can use frozen ones since they take very little time to cook. This is indeed a very simple yet delicious side dish and healthy too!

  2. Now that’s a beautiful dish! I love just about any dish with paneer, and this one would not be an exception. You inspired to me start making ghee a while back and now with this dish, I want to start making my own paneer. Thanks!!

  3. Humble food is what I humbly love. I would love this dish with loads of rice though over here we seldom use paneer and I think the best replacement, tofu is what I am gonna use.

  4. I love paneer, but never cooked with it…this dish is very interesting and would love to try one day…
    Have a great weekend 🙂

  5. I love winter greens too! It’s a great time of year for vegetables. The peas are bright and pretty in this dish. It looks like a perfect comfort food meal.

  6. i really get speechless whenever i visit your space…your recipes and pics are excellent dear….this matar paneer bhurji is just too yumm

  7. I found you through a comment you left on my blog – I am gob smacked. WOW. Both your recipes and photography are first class! I cannot believe i have never come across you before. This is truly inspirational!! Paneer is one of my all time favourite Indian dishes, I have not attempted to make it at home yet but it’s going on my “must try” list right now!

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