This vegetarian spinach and paneer curry is delicious as part of an Indian meal. The paneer cheese can be bought from Indian, speciality stores and some supermarkets. It's definitely not Irish but, because of its colour, this would be a great dish to serve on St Patrick's Day, March 17.
Spice mix
1 Tbsp | Coriander seeds |
1 Tbsp | Cumin seeds |
1 piece | Cinnamon stick, a small one |
3 | Cloves |
5 | Cardamom pods |
1 Tbsp | Ground turmeric |
Curry paste
1 large knob | Ginger, peeled |
3 cloves | Garlic |
1 bunch | Coriander stalks, without leaves |
1 | Green chilli, use up to 3, depending upon heat and taste |
1 | Lime, zest and juice |
1 tsp | Salt |
1 splash | Olive oil |
Curry sauce
1 | Onion, finely chopped |
1 knob | Butter, for frying onion |
1 serving | Curry paste, use entire amount, made according to recipe on this page (Main) |
2 Tbsp | Spice mix, you may need 3, according to taste, from recipe on this page (Main) |
3 stalks | Curry leaves, use the leaves only |
2 | Tomatoes, chopped |
1 cup | Stock, hot |
300 g | Spinach, chopped (Main) |
1 block | Paneer, cut into cubes (Main) |
1 packet | Naan bread |
4 servings | Basmati rice, cooked to serve |
Directions
- First make the spice mix. Lightly toast coriander and cumin seeds, a small piece of cinnamon bark, 3 cloves and 5 cardamom pods. Blitz or grind to a fine powder. Mix with ground turmeric and store in an airtight container.
- To make the curry paste, blitz ginger, garlic, coriander stalks, 1-3 green chillies, the lime zest and juice, salt and a glug of olive oil to form a smooth paste.
- To make the curry sauce, gently fry onion in the butter. Add the curry paste, 2-3 Tbsp spice mix and the curry leaves and cook until fragrant. Add tomato and cook 5 minutes to thicken. Add hot stock and the chopped spinach and simmer until spinach and tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat, cover and cool 5-10 minutes, then blitz to form a sauce.
- Reheat the sauce, check seasoning. Add gently fried cubes of paneer cheese and serve with naan and rice.
More of Warren's green, St Patrick's Day-inspired dishes