Summer Minted Courgette Paneer
Banging with flavours of mint and ginger with a slight burst of heat.
Ingredients
Recipe by Simon Gault, summer series 2020
Serves 6
2 courgettes, cut in batons
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
300g paneer cheese, cut in 12 slices
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
3cm piece ginger, julienned
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced in rings
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 large tomato, roughly diced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped mint leaves (retain a sprig for garnishing)
Method
Using a mortar and pestle (or the side of a chef’s knife), coarsely crush cumin seeds and coriander seeds and set aside.
In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Lay in paneer slices and sauté each side until golden (about 30 seconds per side—depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan). Remove paneer from pan and set aside.
Add mustard seeds and crushed seeds to pan and sauté for 20–30 seconds. Add ginger, garlic and shallot rings. Cook, stirring, until shallots have softened. Add cayenne, turmeric, courgette batons, chopped tomato, cherry tomatoes and stock. Gently simmer for 13–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lastly, stir in salt and chopped mint then top with paneer slices. Slide mixture into a serving dish, garnish with a mint sprig and serve.