In the 1980s, when I first arrived in North America, every Indian restaurant menu featured Matar paneer, an old-world dryish peas and paneer curry. Invented during the royal Mughal era of India, I ...

I grew up in India, in a Gujarati family, and while I eat everything, it’s a vegetarian culture. One of the biggest sources of protein for vegetarians there is cheese — and by this, I mean paneer.

Matar Paneer is one of the most cherished North Indian vegetarian dishes, combining soft cubes of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) with green peas (matar) in a rich, aromatic tomato-based gravy. It is a ...