I have frequently discussed my wife’s reaction, opinion about my recipes. My Healthy Matar Paneer may be her favorite of all.

Indian food is not spicy. It is all about flavor. This dish has such deep flavor. Indian spices are enhanced when toasted or ground to use. I used cumin and coriander seeds and chili powder – and fresh garlic and ginger. As I think about it, Indian dishes use so many fresh ingredients and the cooking process enhances there flavor. The spices are complimented by the sweetness of the honey.

Now I called the dish healthy. I did use ghee – which is clarified butter at the beginning of the cooking. Besides the ghee, there is no dairy. The sauce is sweetened and made creamy with the addition of coconut milk, not heavy cream. The sauce is just tomatoes and the coconut milk. As a total aside, I made a creamy cajun pasta tonight. There was no cream added. I did use some 1% milk. By cooking the pasta in the milk, chicken stock and some coconut milk, the starch of the noodles created the creaminess. Below is a very similar dish from a while back.

GF CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

My wife’s favorite part of the dish is the paneer. Paneer is Indian cheese. What is so fascinating is that even when the cheese is pan fried, it does not melt. The paneer is pan fried to get it nice and crispy. The dish comes together so easily. Add the spices to the ghee, followed by the tomato sauce and coconut milk. Add back in the paneer and peas at the end. That’s it.

Developing the matar paneer.

The Healthy Matar Paneer.

The Recipe

Healthy Matar Paneer

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Crispy pan-fried paneer and sweet peas in a toasted-spice tomato sauce made creamy with coconut milk instead of cream.

Prep10 minutes mins

Cook25 minutes mins

Total35 minutes mins

Servings4 people

Scale

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 12 oz paneer, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• ▢ 2 Tbsp ghee
• ▢ 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• ▢ 2 tsp chili powder
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• ▢ 15 oz tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 cup coconut milk
• ▢ 1 Tbsp honey
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ fresh cilantro, to garnish

Instructions 

• Heat 1 Tbsp ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the paneer cubes, turning, until golden and crispy on most sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Add the remaining ghee. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds for 30 seconds, until fragrant, then stir in the chili powder, garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute.
• Add the tomato sauce and simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in the coconut milk, honey and salt and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
• Add the paneer and peas back in and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until the peas are hot.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or naan.

Recipe Notes

Card rebuilt in October 2026 from the post and its ingredient photos; amounts are estimates. Nutrition is an estimate per serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 520kcal (26%), Carbohydrates: 18g (6%), Protein: 19g (38%), Fat: 42g (65%)