Paneer spinach

This is a quick and healthy recipe from my cousin Bharti.  She comes from a family of incredible cooks and you will see a few of her recipes coming through in the coming months.

I have lots of happy memories from my childhood of time spent with Bharti including:

• my first roadtrip (aged 7) to Blackpool with her, her sister Daksha and husband Nitin
• cutting my knee open on her exercise bike (aged 7 - it was an exciting summer and I have a great scar as a souvenir)
• my first ride on a rollercoaster at Alton Towers (aged 8)
• playing my first computer game with her husband Nitin (it was on a Commodore 64 - I'm showing my age now...).

Who knows if it wasn't for Bharti I might have unblemished knees!





Serves 2 - 3 as a main course


Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
• 125 grams paneer - cut into approximately 1 cm x 1.5 cm pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 small onion - finely chopped
• 225 grams canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic - crushed
• 1 green chilli - finely chopped
• 5 grams ginger - peeled and grated
• 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 100 grams baby spinach - washed
• 150 milllitres water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok.
2. Shallow fry the paneer until it is golden brown on all sides.
3. Remove the paneer from the wok and place it on a plate.
4. Now add the cumin seeds to the wok and let them cook for a minute or two.
5. Add the onion, stir well and cook until it is soft and starting to colour slightly.
6. Now add the tomatoes, garlic, green chilli, ginger, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt.  Stir well and let the mixture cook for 5 minutes.
7. Return the paneer to the pan and mix again.  Let the paneer cook in the sauce for 3 - 4 minutes.
8. Add the spinich and water and mix very well.
9. Let the curry cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the spinach is tender.
10. Serve hot with rice or bread.