If you've ever had Mattar Paneer at an Indian restaurant, you will definitely want to try this at home. This recipe looks difficult, and though it is time-consuming, it's actually very easy to make.

Although I've seen some recipes say you can substitute firm tofu for the paneer, don't try it. If you've ever had the real thing you'll be sorely disappointed.

Home-made Paneer

Ingredients:
1 gallon low-fat milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions:
1. In a large stainless steel or enamel pot, heat the milk until it comes to a boil, stirring often. Add the lemon juice, stir well and remove from the heat. The milk will curdle immediately, separating into light, fluffy curds and whey.

2. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Pour the curds and whey into the colander and allow to drain for an hour or so. Reserve about a cup of the whey for later.

3. After the curds have drained, twist the top of the cheesecloth, form into a ball and squeeze out as much whey as you can. Place on a large plate and flatten out so you have a large disk about ½ inch thick. Place a skillet on top, and weight it with several large cans and leave for another hour.

HINT: put the edge of the plate over the sink and put something under the other end to tilt the plate up so that the remaining whey doesn’t make a mess on your counter.

4. After the curds have been pressed, remove from the cheesecloth and cut into diamond-shaped cubes. Heat a couple of tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat, and fry until golden brown on all sides. Don’t worry, it won’t melt and turn into a gooey mess. You can make the paneer and fry it the day before

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, chopped
1 bag frozen peas, defrosted
2 large tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 good-sized piece ginger (about the size of your thumb), peeled and minced
1 tsp chili-garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp ghee (or canola oil if you don't have any ghee handy)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 cup reserved whey
1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
1/4 cup cashews, coarsley chopped

Directions:
1. Heat the ghee in a large skillet and fry the onions, garlic, chili-garlic paste and ginger until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 5 minutes (your kitchen will smell amazing!)

2. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, tumeric and garam masala and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens.

3. Add the peas, fried paneer cubes and just enough of the reserved whey to cover, and cook until the peas and paneer are heated through. Stir in the chopped cilantro and cashews and serve with a Basmati rice pilaf. Your vegetarian friends will be in heaven!