When you are a vegetarian in a curry house this dish is a must. I remember on my first trip to India sitting in a roadside restaurant and being served the best ‘cheesy peas’ of my life. The slightly chewy outside of the cheese which gives way to the soft centre, the sweetness of the peas in the slightly spicy tomato sauce… Heaven!
It’s one of my all-time favourites but so easy to make at home and reasonable too. You can make enough for four for the same price as a single takeaway portion! Most supermarkets stock more than one brand of paneer now – look in the specialist section – and often at least one is on offer. I like to stock up when they are reduced as they keep for a while and usually I make a triple batch and freeze it in portions so we can have it as part of a larger Indian meal or as a quick packed lunch with leftover rice or a chapatti.
This serves four and works out to around £2.30, so 58p per portion.
Indian Paneer with Peas
Ingredients
- Oil for frying
- 1bsp of oil/coconut oil/butter
- gmspaneer, cubed
- cm fresh root ginger, grated
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp
- ½ tsp dried crushed chilli
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt and pepper
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 200g frozen peas
Directions
- Step 1 1. Fry the paneer cubes in hot oil to seal them, they should be golden then drain on kitchen roll.
- Step 2 2. In another pan using a tablespoon of oil/coconut oil/butter fry together the ginger, cumin, turmeric, ground coriander and chilli until the spices are sizzling.
- Step 3 3. Add the tomatoes and cook together for 5mins stirring regularly.
- Step 4 4. Break up any larger pieces of tomato remaining and add the peas. Cook for a further 5mins before adding the paneer and garam masala, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5mins.
- Step 5 5. If you prefer a creamier sauce add the yoghurt and stir through just before serving.
