Muttar Paneer
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's Feast

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
500 grams frozen peas
1 teaspoon tomato paste
250 millilitres vegetable stock (I use boiling water and stock powder)
225 grams fried paneer cubes, from the freezer section (see note below)

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan, big enough to take everything later.
Finely chop the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add onion, garlic and ginger to the pan with a generous pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent.
Add the turmeric powder and garam masala and stir through.
Add the frozen peas and stir to coat in the spice mixture.
Stir the tomato paste into the vegetable stock, and then pour into the pot with the peas. Bring to a robust simmer, then turn the heat to low. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the (still frozen) paneer cubes, cover and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 5 minutes, or until the cheese is heated through and the liquid has thickened slightly.
Note: If you can't find frozen fried paneer cubes, buy fresh paneer and cut into rough 1.5 centimetre cubes. Fry the cubes in oil (be careful of splatters) until golden brown all over. Drain on paper towel and set aside while you make the peas. Add the cheese cubes to the peas at the end of cooking time.

Red Lentil Dhal
Make the red lentil dhal from my previous post, but omit the spinach and chickpeas.

Cauliflower Rice Pulao
Make the cauliflower rice pulao from my previous post.

Roasted!

Indian Roast Potatoes

Dhal ingredients

Spice mix

Dhal

Red Lentil and Chickpea Dhal
Adapted from Philosokitchen

Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon red chilli peppers flakes
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 pinch nutmeg powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
1 small onion, peeled and chopped finely
225 grams red lentils
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
60 grams baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method
Place the garlic, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, yellow mustard seeds, chilli flakes, and clove in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix together the garam masala powder, turmeric powder, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot. Once hot, add the garlic and whole spices, and stir fry until fragrant, approx. 1 minute. (Be careful not to let the garlic burn).
Add the chopped onion and stir well, cooking until the onion is softened and translucent.
Add the red lentils and stir to coat in the fragrant oil mixture.
Add 2.5 cups (625 millilitres) of hot water from a recently boiled kettle, followed by the grated ginger, tomato paste, and dry powdered spices. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the pan. Add more hot water if the mixture gets too thick.
Add the chickpeas and baby spinach leaves, and stir in until the spinach is wilted.
Season with salt to taste.
Garnish with chopped coriander to serve.

Indian Roast Potatoes
Adapted from Nigella's Panchporan Aloo (How to Eat) and her Indian Roast Potatoes (Kitchen)

Ingredients
1 kg potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon hot chilli powder
1 bulb garlic
1/4 red onion, finely diced
juice of half a lime
Fresh coriander, chopped
Salt, to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C. Peel the potatoes and chop into 2-3 cm dice.
Place the potato pieces on a large shallow baking tray in a single layer (I used two baking trays), and drizzle with the oil.
Mix together all the seeds and spices, then sprinkle over the potatoes and toss to coat evenly. Break up the garlic clove and add to the tray.
Bake for 1 hour without tossing the potatoes. (If you are using two baking trays, swap the baking trays halfway through cooking).
Meanwhile, place the finely diced red onion and lime juice in a small bowl, cover with clingwrap and set aside.
Once the potatoes are cooked, transfer to a serving dish or your meal prep containers. (I remove the garlic and discard, but feel free to keep them in if you love garlic and aren't afraid of garlic breath). Season generously with salt. Garnish with the red onions (discard any excess lime juice) and chopped coriander.

Cucumber Raita
Adapted from Indian Delights

Ingredients
1 green chilli (de-seeded if you like)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 Lebanese cucumber
Salt, to taste

Method
Place the chilli, mint leaves, coriander leaves and yogurt in a blender and mix until combined.
Trim the ends off the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into fine half moons. (Alternatively, grate the cucumber if you prefer a more uniform texture).
Stir the yogurt mixture and the cucumber together. Season with salt to taste.