Peta Leith, who collaborated with her famous aunt, celeb chef Prue Leith, on the cookbook, The Vegetarian Kitchen, says: "For years I had been reluctant to try paneer, as descriptions often liken it to cottage cheese, which immediately puts me off. However, that description is so wildly inaccurate - it's far more like a halloumi, and since discovering it, I cook with it all the time. The curry below is one of my favourite ways to use it."
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
60ml (4 tbsp) vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 mild red chilli, finely chopped (with seeds)
2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
15ml (1 tbsp) tomato puree
5ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
5ml (1 tsp) garam masala
5ml (1 tsp) hot curry powder
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
100ml double cream
Salt and black pepper to season
100g baby leaf spinach
250g paneer, cut into bite-sized cubes
100g frozen petits pois
A pinch of caster sugar
A squeeze of lemon juice
To serve:
Rice and/or naan bread
Method:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger and saute for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the tomato puree, cumin, garam masala and curry powder. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tinned tomatoes and the double cream. Season well with salt and black pepper, bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Rinse the spinach leaves.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the paneer and fry it, turning it frequently, until golden brown and crisp all over.
- Add the paneer to the curry sauce and return to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the frozen petits pois and spinach, return to the boil, and simmer for just a few minutes until the peas are cooked and the spinach has wilted.
- Add the sugar and a small squeeze of lemon juice, check the seasoning, and serve with rice or naan bread.
• Recipe and image from Prue Leith's latest cookbook 'The Vegetarian Kitchen' (Bluebird Books for Life, R499), which was created in collaboration her niece Peta Leith, a former pastry chef and lifelong vegetarian. Filled with tempting recipes that don't use mountains of ingredients, the book is sure to inspire those who are dabbling with the idea of eating less meat and more vegetables, but aren't sure where to start.
