michelle picker cooks

Paneer is a fresh acid-set, non-melting cheese commonly used in Indian cooking. Perfect for a vegetarian feast.

This sweet pumpkin and paneer curry by Mindi from mama nagi’s has a thick sauce with spinach leaves and coriander (cilantro) for balance.

Preheat your oven to 220ºC (425ºF). Cut the pumpkin into evenly sized pieces, place them in a baking dish, drizzle with vegetable oil and season with salt. Bake until the pumpkin is soft and colouring a little. Remove from the oven and set aside. While the pumpkin is roasting, cut a block of paneer cheese into cubes, season with salt and fry in a little oil over low-medium heat until both sides are golden. Set aside. To start the curry, heat some oil and gently fry 1 finely chopped onion until soft and wilted. Add 3 cloves of finely minced garlic and a similar amount of minced ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. Now add ½ a teaspoon of cumin seeds, ½ a teaspoon of black mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, ½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric, ½ a teaspoon of chilli powder (optional) and 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste (purée). Cook until fragrant. In a food processor, blend half of the pumpkin with ½ a can of coconut milk and add it to the pot along with the rest of the coconut milk. Simmer until the sauce has thickened a little then add the rest of the pumpkin, the paneer, a handful of spinach leaves and some finely chopped stems of coriander (cilantro). Finally, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Cauliflower, paneer and peas are a great combination in this curry adapted from Madhu’s Everyday Indian.

If you’re using store bought paneer, cut 200g into cubes and fry in a little oil over low-medium heat until golden brown then set aside. Next, heat a little oil and add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. When they begin to sizzle add 1 finely chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add 2 teaspoons each of minced garlic and fresh ginger and cook briefly. Now add one 400g (14 oz) can of pureed tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of tomato paste (purée) and cook until the tomatoes thicken and the oil separates. Add ½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1½ teaspoons of ground coriander, ¾ of a teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli powder, 1½ teaspoons of garam masala and salt to taste. Cook this mixture for a minute before adding 1 medium cauliflower cut into florets and 1 cup of water. Mix well and cook until the cauliflower is just beginning to soften then add the paneer cubes, 1 cup of frozen peas and ½ a cup of coconut milk, stirring to prevent curdling. Allow everything to heat through and adjust seasoning if necessary. Just before serving add lemon juice to taste.