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.

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