Recipe Index

Ingredients

• vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• 1lb paneer, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1½ tsp crushed dried chillies or ½ chilli, finely chopped (and deseeded, optional)
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stalks separated, both finely chopped
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 4 green cardamom pods, crushed
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1½ tsp garam masala
• 10½oz passata
• 9oz frozen peas
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over a high heat, test it with one paneer cube, and shallow fry the paneer in batches for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until golden on both sides, then drain the pieces on kitchen paper.
2. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the sliced onion with the cumin seeds over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until soft.
3. Stir in the crushed garlic, grated ginger, chillies and chopped coriander stalks and fry for one more minute.
4. Add the black and green cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, turmeric and garam masala with a good seasoning of salt, and cook for a couple of minutes until the spices smell aromatic.
5. Pour in the passata and let the sauce simmer gently for 10 minutes.
6. Return the paneer to the pan, stir it through the sauce, loosen everything with a splash of water, and simmer for a few minutes so the paneer absorbs the flavours.
7. Stir in the frozen peas and coriander leaves, season with salt and black pepper, and simmer for a final 2 to 3 minutes until the peas are cooked, then serve at once.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 1 h

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data