Beetroot and Coconut Curry with Marinated Paneer Recipe

Ingredients

• 4tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 large one
• 1tbsp mustard seeds
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1-2 Thai chillies, split lengthways (and deseeded if you prefer)
• 1tbsp garam masala
• 2tbsp cumin seeds, dry toasted in a frying pan and ground
• 1tbsp ground coriander
• 600g (1lb 5oz) raw beetroot, peeled and cut into batons the size of your little finger
• 400ml can coconut milk

for the marinated paneer

• 227g pack paneer cheese
• juice 2 limes, plus zest 1
• 1tbsp garam masala
• 3tbsp oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• red chillies, sliced to garnish

to serve

• coriander leaves
• lime wedges

Method

1. First, marinate the paneer by putting it in a bowl with the lime juice and garam masala, and tossing to coat. Cover and marinate for at least half an hour, or up to overnight - the longer the better!

2. To make the curry, heat the oil in a large pan and add the cloves, cinnamon sticks and mustard seeds. Warm gently until the mustard seeds start to pop, then add the red onions and cook for another 5 minutes, until they are soft and very lightly browned. Add the garlic, Thai chillies, garam masala, cumin and coriander to the pan and cook out gently for another 5 minutes. Then add the beetroot, cook for another minute and finally add the coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, before uncovering and cooking for another 10 minutes. Depending on the size of your batons, the beetroot may take a little longer to cook.

3. Once in the final 10 minutes of cooking the curry, heat another frying pan and add a drop of oil. When hot, add the paneer chunks to the pan, fry for a minute until brown on one side, then add the onion slices and fry, stirring frequently so the onions don't burn. Season the curry and the paneer generously, and add a little more lime juice to the paneer if it needs it. Serve the curry scattered with coriander, and the paneer topped with the lime zest and chillies, with steamed rice and lime wedges for the curry.