Paneer & chickpea fry

Paneer is one of my favourite Indian ingredients, and this method of stir-frying is the best way of cooking it, in my opinion. The paneer, onions and spices always stay the same, but what I add to the dish depends on what I’ve got. Chickpeas are a great storecupboard ingredient, and add so much to the dish.

SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins EASY V

2 tbsp ghee (or use sunflower oil or butter)

250g paneer, cut into cubes 1 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp chilli powder ½ tsp cardamom seeds

1 red chilli, sliced

5 curry leaves

1 green pepper, cut into

large chunks

400g can chickpeas, drained ½ bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

For the onion pickle ½ lemon, juiced ½ red onion, sliced

1 First, make the pickle. Combine the lemon juice, onion and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

2 Heat half the ghee in a frying pan and fry the paneer for 10 mins, stirring until lightly brown and crisp on all sides. Scoop out onto a plate using a slotted spoon.

3 Heat the rest of the ghee in the pan over a high heat, and fry the onions for 5 mins until starting to brown at the edges. Add the garlic, turmeric, chilli powder, cardamom seeds, chilli, curry leaves and pepper, and stir-fry for 5 mins until the onions are caramelised. Return the paneer to the pan along with the chickpeas and a large splash of water, and simmer everything for 5 mins until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is sticky. Season with salt, then spoon into a dish and top with the coriander and pickled onions.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium • ibre • vit c • 2 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 382 kcals • fat 25g • saturates 14g • carbs 16g • sugars 5g • ibre 6g • protein 22g • salt 0.1g