PANEER & CHICKPEA CURRY Serves 4-6 INGREDIENTS 250g prepared paneer 1 large brinjal, cut into chunks sunflower oil to grill or fry brinjal 50ml sunflower oil 1 cinnamon stick 5ml cumin seeds 1 onion, finely chopped 7ml coarse salt 15ml crushed garlic 10ml red chilli powder 4 tomatoes, skinned and chopped 5ml ground cumin 5ml ground coriander 5ml garam masala 2.5ml turmeric 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, drained 200ml boiling water 60ml fresh cream, optional 200g baby spinach, washed and chopped fresh coriander to garnish METHOD Slice the paneer into cubes and set aside. Put the brinjal in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Leave to sweat for 15 minutes. Wipe them with paper towel and squeeze gently to remove excess moisture.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the brinjal until light golden brown. Remove and set aside. Heat the oil in the saucepan and add the cinnamon stick. When the cinnamon is fragrant, add the cumin seeds. The cumin seeds will splutter. Then add the onion and salt and sauté at a medium heat until golden brown. Add the garlic and stir for 5 seconds. Add the red chilli powder and sauté for 3-5 seconds taking care not to burn the spices. Add the tomatoes and simmer at a medium heat until soft. Add the cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric. The mixture should be a thick spice paste. Stir in the chickpeas and boiling water and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add cream and simmer for a minute. Add the spinach and simmer uncovered until the spinach wilts. Add the fried brinjal and paneer and simmer for a minute, stirring gently to ensure the paneer does not crumble. Garnish with coriander.
TAMARIND DHAL INGREDIENTS 200g red lentils (masur dhal) 4 tbs oil 6 cloves of garlic 700ml hot water 6 curry leaves (optional) 4 dried red chillies ¼ tsp whole cumin seeds 1 tsp salt 1 tbs tomato purée 1 tbs tamarind chutney (if using tamarind concentrate, use it very sparingly) METHOD Wash the lentils in cold water and leave them to soak while you prepare the other ingredients. Finely chop four cloves of garlic. Thickly slice the remaining two cloves for the garnish. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a pot and add the four chopped cloves of garlic and two dried red chillies, followed immediately by the drained lentils. Lower the heat and slowly fry the lentils. After 5 minutes, add turmeric and a generous pinch of salt. Keep frying the dhal on low/medium heat until the raw smell of the turmeric is gone (usually another 5 minutes). Add the hot water and increase the heat to maximum. Once the lentils are boiling, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Open the pot and use the back of a wooden spoon to break down some of the lentils. Add the tomato purée, tamarind and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The final stage is the tempering of the dhal. In a new pan, add the remaining two tbs of oil and heat to medium/high. Add two dried red chillies, followed by the sliced garlic and the curry leaves. Do not let the garlic burn. Pour the infused oil for tempering on to the lentils. The dhal can be made in advance and reheated if necessary.
