Nadiya says: “We have eaten banana peel our whole life, so we are in no way shocked or bamboozled by something like this. I know that is not normal for everyone, but if you are making banana bread or have kids like mine and go through bananas like they are going out of fashion, give this a try. It’s so easy and such a great way to use up something that pretty much everyone chucks way.”

Prep: 8 mins
Cook: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Peels of 6 bananas 
• 1 lemon, juice only 
• 5 tablespoons oil 
• 2 onions, diced 
• 1½ teaspoons salt 
• 2 tablespoons ginger paste 
• 2 tablespoons garlic paste 
• 1 tomato, diced 
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée 
• 3 tablespoons garam masala 
• 2 teaspoons chilli powder (optional) 
• 300ml water 
• Thinly sliced coriander, to serve

Method

Start by thinly slicing your banana peels and squeezing the lemon juice all over to stop the browning process a little. They will brown as soon as they are peeled – they are notorious for it – but that is OK. 

Pour the oil into a medium non-stick pan and as soon as the oil is hot, add the onions and salt and cook till browned. As soon as the onions are soft and brown, add the ginger paste, garlic paste, tomato and tomato purée, cook for a few minutes and then add the garam masala and chilli powder and mix through. 

Add the sliced banana peels and cook in the spices over a high heat for a few minutes. Pour in the water and cook over a medium heat, with the lid on, for 30 minutes. 

Take off the lid and cook till the mixture is drier and not watery. Sprinkle over the coriander and serve.

Tip
Don’t throw away the lemon halves after squeezing. Fill the cavity with bicarbonate of soda, pop into a bowl and place in the back of your fridge to capture any nasty smells.

Nadiya says: “Essentially, a karahi is just the dish in which this curry is cooked. It is a rounded, deep pan with two handles. If you don’t have one, this curry can also be done in a wok. This is a deep, rich curry, which is deliciously balanced with the creamy paneer. I love to eat this with naan!”

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Makes: 4 meals

Ingredients

• Oil, for frying 
• 500g paneer, cut into cubes 
• 2 onions, diced 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons garlic paste 
• 4 tomatoes, diced 
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée 
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 2 tablespoons curry powder 
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional) 
• Large handful of spinach 
• Cream, for drizzling

Method

Put a medium non-stick frying pan on the hob over a medium heat. Splash in a good drizzle of oil. Get the paneer cubes in and leave them to cook, tossing and moving the paneer around occasionally. You want to keep frying till the paneer cubes all have a brown, crinkly texture. 

Take the paneer out of the pan and set aside, then place the same pan back on a medium heat. 

Pour in a drizzle more oil. As soon as the oil is hot, add the onion along with the salt and cook till soft and golden. Get the garlic paste in with the tomatoes, tomato purée, turmeric, curry powder and chilli powder and cook till the tomatoes have broken down and you have a rich sauce. 

Add a splash of water to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan. As it cooks, add the spinach in and mix through till wilted. Add the paneer back in, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once the curry has finished cooking, take it off the heat and transfer into your freezer containers. 

Leave to cool, then drizzle over some cream, cover and freeze. To reheat, thaw out and heat in a pan or in the microwave until hot all the way through.

Tip
Pre-frying the paneer over a high heat creates an uneven texture that works really well to allow the sauce to cling to the cheese cubes.

Nadiya says: “I love a traybake and this one is no less loved than all the others that I make! Packed full of veg and flavour, this is the kind of thing I make on repeat for an easy life and a delicious dinner each and every single time.”

Prep: 8 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the traybake:

• Oil, for frying 
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 2 red onions, cut into chunks 
• 1 medium aubergine, cut into chunks 
• 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained 
• 1 lemon, topped and tailed and thinly sliced 
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds 
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 
• 1½ teaspoons salt 
• 2 teaspoons paprika 
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 8 chicken drumsticks 

To serve:

• Chopped fresh 
• coriander 
• Tahini 
• Chilli oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C and have a large roasting dish ready to put this beautiful thing together. 

Pour a generous drizzle of oil into the base of the dish and now it’s time to get it all in. Add the garlic, red onion, aubergine, chickpeas and lemon slices. 

Using a pestle and mortar, lightly crush the coriander and cumin seeds. Add with the salt, paprika, turmeric and the chicken drumsticks. Get your hands in and give everything a really good mix around so it’s all coated. 

Pop into the oven for 45 minutes till the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender. 

To serve, sprinkle over the chopped coriander and drizzle over the tahini and chilli oil. It is now ready to take to the middle of the table.

Tip
Never throw away the liquid from chickpea water – you can make great vegan meringues with it!