This is a week-night take on my mum’s incomparable malai kofta, for which you blend homemade paneer with coriander and spices until fluffy, roll the mixture into balls, then deep-fry and serve with a spiced cream sauce. In this version, you quickly fry shop-bought paneer and serve it with a similar sauce that includes peas for colour and some other veg. My top tip, which comes from food writer Roopa Gulati, is that you can improve shop-bought paneer no end by giving it a quick soak before use – it rehydrates and has a lovely, fluffy texture, rather than bouncing off the plate when you try to stab it with a fork.
Quick-fried paneer curry with tomatoes, ginger and cream
If you have any leftovers, this curry is even nicer the next day; it freezes well, too.
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
225g paneer, cut into 1cm cubes
3 tbsp neutral oil
1 large white onion, peeled and finely sliced
5cm ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
2 tsp coriander seeds, freshly ground
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
100ml single cream, plus 50ml extra to finish
200g frozen peas
1 lime, ½ juiced, ½ cut into wedges
Flaky sea salt, to taste
15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve
Freshly cooked basmati rice (see my foolproof microwave method here), or flatbreads or chapatis, to serve
Put the cubed paneer in a large bowl of boiling water, leave it to sit for 10 minutes to soften, then drain and pat dry with kitchen roll or a clean tea towel.
Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan or wide-based casserole pot, add the onion and stir-fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Turn down the heat to low, add the ginger, garlic, spices and salt, and cook, stirring, for a minute.
Tip the contents of the pan into a high-speed blender or food processor, add half the tinned tomatoes and blitz smooth. Return to the pan with the remaining tomatoes and single cream, bring to a boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 10 minutes.
Once the sauce is back on the hob, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a second large frying pan, add the paneer cubes and fry for a couple of minutes on each side (I usually do it on just four sides), until crisp and golden brown.
When the sauce has had its 10 minutes, stir in the peas, leave to cook for a further five minutes, then stir in the paneer. Add the lime juice and salt to taste.
Drizzle the curry with the extra 50ml single cream, scatter on the fresh coriander and serve hot with lime wedges on the side and some buttery rice or flatbreads alongside.
