I discovered Amy’s frozen meals a while back, after a long search for frozen dinners that didn’t include suspicious meat-like substances. One of my favorites is their Mattar Paneer, an Indian dish featuring peas and cheese in a slightly spicy sauce. I thought it would be a nice dish to add to our at-home repertoire, but I couldn’t find a place to buy paneer (the cheese).

A few weeks ago, I borrowed a vegetarian cookbook from a friend, and there it was! Muttar Paneer! I didn’t use a deep enough pot in the paneer-making process. I had no idea how quickly boiling milk would turn into a all-over-the-stove cloud of froth. In case you don’t know, either: very, very quickly. I recommend a very large pot. I had to improvise on the cheesecloth; I used two of Poppy’s burp clothes (clean, thank you very much), and they worked beautifully. I tied the cheese up in a nice little bundle and suspended it from the faucet to drain.

Muttar Paneer
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups frozen peas
8-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable stock
salt and pepper
Paneer, cut into small cubes (recipe follows)
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the paneer and fry until golden on all sides. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Pour off some of the oil, leaving about 4 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry gently, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add the peas, tomatoes and stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occassionally, for 10 minutes, until the onion is tender.

Add the fried paneer cubes and cook for another 5 minutes.

Taste and adust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Paneer
10 cups pasteurized whole milk
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
Bring the milk to a rolling boil in a large soup pot. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Return to the heat for about a minute until the curds and whey separate. Remove from the heat and add the garlic. Line a strainer with a double thickness of cheesecloth, and pour the mixture through. Squeeze all the liquid from the curds and leave to drain.

Transfer to a dish, cover with a plate and a heavy weight, and refrigerate overnight.

Recipes adapted from “Ultimate Vegetarian.” This makes a ton of food.