hile growing up in India, my mum, who sadly passed away in 2019, would always cook dishes that she thought were wholesome and would be enjoyed by the family or her friends. She made her own paneer but, years later, was very happy that she was able to buy it. On a very wet day, she would make us paneer pakoras, or shahi paneer on special occasions.
Paneer, as we know it, is easily available in supermarkets these days. If you’re making it at home, use full-fat milk: bring a litre to a boil, lower the temperature, add the juice of one small lemon and stir until the milk curdles. Remove from the heat, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then strain through a muslin cloth and squeeze out all the whey.
Palak paneer (pictured above)
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 3-4 as a side
350g spinach, washed
1 heaped tsp cornmeal flour
4 tsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
7 tsp (15g) peeled and finely chopped ginger
3½ tsp (10g) peeled and finely chopped garlic
120g white onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 green bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced, seeds and all
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp heaped garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
200g paneer, diced into chunks
Put the spinach and 150ml hot water in a pan and cook for three to four minutes, until wilted. Add the flour and blitz to a puree with a hand blender.
To make the tadka, or temper, heat three teaspoons of the ghee in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add the ginger and garlic, and cook for a minute. Add the onions and chillies, and cook for five minutes on a medium heat. Add the salt, turmeric, garam masala and ground cumin, cook for a minute, then stir in the spinach puree, lower the heat and leave to cook gently.
Meanwhile, heat the rest of the ghee in a small frying pan and cook the diced paneer, turning it often, until browned on all sides. Add the paneer to the spinach mix, cook for three or four minutes more, until the paneer is soft and the spinach is nice and smooth, and serve with roti or paratha.
Shahi paneer
Prep 15 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 3-4 as a side
For the marinade
1 tsp peeled and grated ginger
1 tsp peeled and grated garlic
1 tsp tandoori masala
3 tsp water
200g paneer, diced into chunks
2 tsp sunflower oil (or ghee or butter)
For the sauce
3 tsp ghee
2 tsp peeled and grated ginger
1 tsp peeled and grated garlic
1 tsp salt
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp tandoori masala
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp methi (AKA dried fenugreek leaves)
6 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 x 400g tin tomatoes, pureed
100ml single cream
50g cashew nuts, soaked in 100ml water and blended into paste
Put all the marinade ingredients except the oil in a bowl, then set aside for 15 minutes.
Heat the ghee in a pan and, once hot, add the ginger and garlic, and cook for two minutes. Stir in the salt, sugar, tandoori masala, garam masala, red chilli powder, ground turmeric, methi and crushed cardamom, and cook for another minute.
Add the pureed tomatoes, stir to combine, then add the cream and cashew paste and cook on a medium heat, still stirring so the sauce doesn’t stick to the base of the pan, for about three minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, heat the oil in a pan and, once hot, add the marinated paneer and fry, turning regularly, for three minutes, until cooked evenly on all sides. Transfer the paneer to the sauce and cook for a further four minutes, until the sauce is creamy and the paneer is soft. Serve with naan or roti.
Chilli paneer
Prep 20 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 3-4 as a side
For the marinade
200g paneer, diced into chunks
3 tsp (8g) peeled and grated ginger
3 tsp (8g) peeled and grated garlic
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
4 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp honey
For the base
6 tsp sunflower oil
1 tsp panch phoron (you can buy this spice mix ready-made, but it’s made with equal parts nigella, fennel, cumin, black mustard and fenugreek seeds if you fancy doing it yourself)
2¼ tsp (6g) peeled and thinly sliced garlic
200g red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped, seeds and all
1 tsp salt
2 tsp tamarind chutney
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp honey
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp tomato puree
6 mixed sweet peppers, seeds removed, roughly diced into chunks
Put all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, toss to combine, then set aside.
To make the base, heat the oil in a wide-bottomed pan over a medium heat and, once hot, add the panch phoron. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add the garlic, cook for a minute, then add the onion and chillies, and saute, stirring often, for six to seven minutes.
Stir in the salt, chutney, spices, honey, soy sauce, tomato puree and 20ml water, and cook for two minutes. Add the sweet peppers, cook for another two minutes, then stir in the paneer and its marinade. Lower the heat, cover the pan and leave to cook for five minutes, until the paneer is soft to the touch. Serve hot with rice, roti or naan.
Paneer pakoras with mint and coriander chutney
Prep 35 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 3-4 as a side
For the batter
75g gram (AKA chickpea) flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
Sunflower oil, for frying
Chaat masala, to serve
For the marinade
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chaat masala
220g paneer block, cut in half through the middle, and then into square slabs
For the chutney
25g fresh mint
20g fresh coriander, chopped
2 green bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped, seeds and all
50g green apple, peeled, cored and cut into small dice
40g red onion, peeled and diced small
½ tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
50-60ml water
2 tsp olive oil
To make the batter, sift the flour into a bowl, add the salt, garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder and mix to combine. Gently pour in 100ml water, mixing it in to form a thick batter – it should be sticky and not very runny.
Mix the marinade spices in a second bowl, add the paneer, toss to coat and leave to and marinate for 10 minutes.
Put all the chutney ingredients in a blender and blitz to a fine paste.
Pour oil into a deep pan or wok to come halfway up the sides and heat up carefully. Meanwhile, take one square of paneer, spread a thin layer of the chutney over one side, then put a second paneer square on the top like a sandwich. Transfer to a plate, and repeat with the remaining paneer.
Once the oil is hot, dip the paneer into the batter and, working in batches, deep-fry for three to four minutes, until crisp and golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to drain off the excess oil, and repeat until all the pakoras are fried.
Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with chaat masala and serve with the leftover chutney and a cup of warming chai.