FODMAP friendly paneer curry
Gluten free, nut free, vegan optionServes 4-6 people with rice *This recipe uses Australian cups and measures. Use gram and ml for international accuracy.Australian tablespoons are 20ml whereas most other tablespoons are 15ml. This is why the recipe suggests using 4 teaspoons per Australian tablespoon if you are based elsewhere.
Ingredients
For the curry sauce base:
- 60ml (3 tablespoons)* neutral oil or ghee
- 50-75g (1 bunch) spring onion greens chopped
- 1-2 leek greens thoroughly washed and chopped
- 1 small red capsicum chopped
- 1 small green capsicum chopped
- 2-3 large carrots reasonably finely chopped
- 50 g ginger chopped
- 1 x 400g tin of plain tomatoes any sort are fine as long as they are unflavoured (Roma/Plum are slightly lower in fructose)
- 2 teaspoons ground garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Asfoetida hing powder, optional (see notes)
- 250-500ml (1- 2 cups)* water
For the curry paste:
- 1 tablespoon* paprika (optional, see notes) (4 US, British and NZ teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon* cumin powder (4 US, British and NZ teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons* garam masala (8 US, British and NZ teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon* fenugreek seeds (optional) (4 US, British and NZ teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon* coriander powder (4 US, British and NZ teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli see notes
- 50g (2 tablespoons)* tomato paste
- Juice of 1 smaller lemon
To finish the curry:
- Seeds of 10-20 cardamom pods discard the pods and keep the small black seeds
- 1 quantity of homemade lactose free paneer see notes
- 125-250 ml (1/2 - 1 cup)* lactose free full cream (you could also use yoghurt milk or a plant based substitute see notes
- Seasoning to taste
- Pinch of sugar, if necessary
Instructions
To make the curry sauce base:
- Place the ghee in a very large cast iron skillet, pan or wok over a low-medium heat. Add the spring onion and leek greens, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until verdant green and fragrant. Add the ginger, capsicums and carrot and cook until soft – an additional 10 or so minutes. Add water whenever the vegetables are sticking and you sense they need it.
- Add the tinned tomatoes and spices and stir to combine. Top with the 1-2 cups of water, stir and place a lid on. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until you can pierce the carrot easily with a knife.
- Once the vegetables are completely soft and the mixture is fragrant, set aside to cool. Once sufficiently cool, place the mixture in a high-speed food processor and blend until you have a smooth curry gravy.
To make the curry paste:
- Combine all the spices (except for the cardamom seeds) for the curry paste in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and tomato paste and stir to form a paste. Add some water or some of the curry sauce base if it’s feeling thick or dry.
To finish the curry:
- While you’re waiting for the curry base to cool, wash and reheat the large skillet or wok and return it to the heat. Preheat really well, then add a scant amount of oil and fry your cubes of paneer until golden on all sides. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons more oil or ghee to the skillet and place over a medium heat. Add the cardamom seeds to the hot oil and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the spice paste and fry off for a minute or two until fragrant.
- Once the mixture is fragrant, add all the curry base and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Add the cream or milk as you see fit, then finish with the paneer cubes. Taste the curry for seasoning, then cook for a few minutes longer until the paneer is warmed through before serving.
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