Mattar Paneer Tacos – Rich, Creamy, Comforting Matar Paneer stuffed in a Homemade Spinach Tortilla.
Ahh!!! Finally the eagerly awaited looong weekend is here. It is time to put my tired and most importantly OLD muscles up for some good old-fashioned R & R. No amount of rest and relaxation is going to be fully complete without some truly delectable food. So the plan on this really beautiful weekend was to make some thing, which is truly beloved in this part of the world and that is the TACO. But the taco is definitely a blank canvas so I decided to paint a unique picture with these Mattar-Paneer Tacos .
Sam Hunt in Alabama !!
The past couple of weeks have been extremely tough for me at work. Quiet a few major experiments needed to be done at the same time. It was one of those times of intense pressure and I was extremely fortunate to come out of it with all my limbs intact (LAUGHS!!!). So I must say that this weekend for me was certainly going to be a well-deserved mini vacation for me. I for one was going to make full use of it starting with a concert by country music star Sam Hunt. I know what y’all are thinking right now!! Is it possible for an Indian guy to listen to country music??? And the answer is a resounding YESS.. Especially when the very same guy has lived in Nashville for close to 6 years.
Game Day Food !!
After a rollicking Friday night I woke up to a picture perfect Saturday morning. The plan was to cook up something nice, lay down on the couch and watch football all day along. It was game day and the food definitely had to match the theme so to speak (CHUCKLES!!). I was mentally running through a list of gameday snacks in my head and I just couldn’t move past two recipes i.e. Burgers & Tacos. Eventually I settled on tacos.
Indian Mexican Fusion
Here I was making something, which is well loved in the country I currently live in. So it was but natural that I was going to stuff it with a filling that is extremely popular in my country of birth i.e. Mattar-Paneer (Peas-Cottage Cheese). Trust me y’all when I say this. There are cuisines which just seem like a match made in heaven when they are put together. Indian and Mexican cuisines just happen to be two of them.
How to make Creamy Matar Paneer Taco
The filling by itself will have so many different layers of flavors that there is absolutely no need to add any other topping on the taco. To begin I am going to start by making a spice blend of coriander, cumin seeds and cloves. Make sure to individually roast them first.
How to make Matar Paneer (pea cottage cheese curry)
Now it was time to whip up this lusciously delectable filling. I began by roasting the onions till they are golden brown and then added the ginger-garlic paste. Next I added the tomato puree followed by all the dry spice powders. Once everything comes together you have an absolutely delicious pool of divine goodness. Finally I mixed in the paneer and the veggies.
How to make Spinach Tortilla
Now I was just going to make simple tortillas for the tacos. But at the last second I remembered the leftover spinach in the fridge. Funny thing is spinach goes perfectly well with the pea-cottage cheese filling. So I blanched the spinach and added it in the tortilla dough for a fun little twist on these Mattar Paneer Tacos.
With the hard work seemingly done I could now sit in front of the TV and watch America’s and definitely my favorite pastime, which is football. The only problem was I was finding it difficult to focus on the game because the sumptuous Mattar Paneer Tacos going in my stomach were transporting me into a whole different dimension altogether.. (LAUGHS!!!)
Recipe Tips & Notes for Matar Paneer
- Add the paneer right at the end while the gravy is simmering.
- I love adding fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi to the gravy as it adds earthy flavor to the dish.
- Simmer everything together to allow the spices to come together to create the perfect gravy.
- Making the filling a few hours in advance does allow the paneer-peas to complete soak up to gravy for extra flavor.
- I like to use tomato puree as it gives nice color to the Matar Paneer. You can also use fresh tomato or canned tomatoes instead.
Should I saute the paneer or not?
I have used store-bought paneer, so I do not soak the paneer in water, nor do I saute it. I just cube the paneer and add it to the dish at the end.
Can I make Mattar Paneer vegan?
I recommend replacing paneer with tofu. The tofu is a plant based substitute for paneer cheese
How to make Matar Paneer without cream?
Since I have used Matar Paneer for topping the taco. I have tried to keep it dry, hence I have omitted adding heavy cream, yogurt, cashew paste or onion paste.
Different ways to serve matar paneer
Other ways you can serve this Paneer Butter Masala is with Indian Bread roti, paratha, naan or rice.
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OTHER MEXICAN RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY !!
- Rosemary Chicken Tacos with Homemade Whole Wheat Rotis.
- Chicken Tacos
- Spicy Cauliflower Taco
- Easy, Healthy Cauliflower Burrito Bowl
- Delicious Chicken Burrito Bowl with Cumin Rice
- Chickpea Tostada
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Mattar Paneer Tacos in a Spinach Tortilla
Ingredients
Tortilla
- 1 ½ cup All purpose flour
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ¼ cup Butter
- ¼ cup Spinach Puree
- Salt
Filling
- 250 gm Paneer Cubed
- 1 small Onion diced
- ¾ cup Tomato Puree
- ¼ cup Frozen Green Peas
- ¼ cup Frozen Corn
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ¾ tsp Turmeric Power
- 1 tsp Fenugreek Leaves
- ¼ tsp Coriander seeds
- ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
- 3 Cloves
- Salt as per taste
- Coriander garnish
Instructions
Tortilla
- Blanch spinach leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain the leaves and put the leaves into cold water. Squeeze out the water and puree in a food processor until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder uniformly. Incorporate butter into the flour till the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Add spinach puree little at a time knead slowly to form soft dough.
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface; knead with the heel of your palm. The dough should feel supple and smooth.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. On a floured surface, roll out each portion into thin round.
- Heat a non-stick griddle and cook the tortilla on a low fame till pale golden brown spot appears on both the side.
- Remove from pan and keep in a covered container.
Filling
- Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and clove in a pan individually till fragrant. Cool the roasted spices and grind in a coffee grinder to a fine powder. Keep the spice blend aside
- Heat oil in a pan and add garlic, ginger and saute till raw smell goes away. Add onion and saute till translucent.
- Mix in tomato puree along with turmeric powder, red chili powder, fenugreek leaves and spice blend and stir well till the spices gets cooked.
- Add paneer and cook for 2-3 minutes.Add green peas, corn and season with salt. Garnish with coriander.
Assemble
- Fill each tortilla with paneer mixture.
- Dive into it immediately.
2 of my favorite in 1, made this for girls potluck party yesterday and it was a hit. I had already decided to make mattar paneer. Got inspired from you and added spinach tortilla. Everyone loved the fusion idea. Thanks for the recipe Rahul
I am glad you and the girls liked it Sushma. When I made it at home it was gone within seconds as well. Most importantly you hardly need to add anything because mattar paneer on its own has a ton of flavor..
This is so tempting fusion recipe, Rahul! Love the thought of making paneer taco , I love to eat paneer in any way, and you have inspired me to try this recipe, I ‘m going to bookmark this right away.
I am a big fan of paneer myself Aarthi.. So the taco recipe came easily to me..
Golly this looks good! I can never resist a taco, particularly a really flavorful one like this. Fun recipe — thanks.
Ohh It tastes good as well John.. A nice of fusion of Indian food packaged in the classic Mexican tortilla..
Indian Mexican fusion for the win! These look SO good!
Great.. Thanks Beth..
I love the idea of Indian Mexican fusion food. These tacos look delicious.
I have always thought that Indian and Mexican cuisines are a match made in heaven Mairead…
Love the idea of making a spinach tortilla – will give them a go next time we have them 🙂
Hope you like it Tandy.. It does give an extra layer of flavor to the tacos…
I have never made my own spinach tortilla’s but yours look delicious so now I have to! And that filling! WOW, it all looks so amazing!
I must admit that it was my wife who made the spinach tortillas.. She’s got way better than me when it comes to bread in the last couple of years..