Golden paneer with tomato-y green beans and carrots

Once upon a time, making my own cheese and finely dicing vegetables would not have been my thing. I loved homemade food but I saw cooking as a chore and washing up even more so. Now I’ve relaxed into the tasks so much more, I actually feel uplifted rather than depleted from trying to rush it all through.

This recipe sums up the beauty of seeing a dish through from start to finish with a little bit of skill and precision, while remaining a hearty meal rather than a restaurant-style display! So go all Little Miss Muffet and strain those curds and whey to make paneer and make an art out of chopping and prepping your veggies. Do it to classical music if you like, and make the preparation of your food the most sacred act that you have.

When you can get them, go for the bigger green beans (English bobby beans!) – but the most common beans in the supermarkets now are the fine green beans, which I like to halve on the diagonal. This is best eaten for lunch, rather than dinner, as the cheese makes it a bit tricky to digest. The sauce is also delicious with a little cumin for variation.

Serves 4

1 quantity of homemade paneer (see here), patted dry and sliced on the diagonal

1 medium onion, diced or small

3cm (1¼ in) piece of fresh ginger, finely diced or grated

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ tsp ground coriander, or 1 tsp coriander seeds, ground

¼ tsp ground turmeric

6 large tomatoes, skinned and deseeded (see here)

2 large carrots, finely diced or grated

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

200g (1⅓ cups) green beans

1 tbsp ghee

portion of cooked basmati rice, quinoa or your favourite pasta, to serve

1 You can make the paneer a few days or couple of hours ahead and store it until you’re ready to serve. It will keep for 4–7 days in the fridge but it is best enjoyed in the first 2 days. The drier and more compact the paneer is, the better it is for frying.

2 Heat a large ceramic-lined or seasoned cast iron frying pan and fry the onion until it starts to brown. Add the ginger and garlic and stir, then add the spices. Throw in the tomatoes and carrots, season to taste and simmer, lid on, for 10 minutes. Add the green beans and simmer for 3 minutes, lid off, until tender.

3 Meanwhile, melt the ghee in another pan on a medium heat. Add the paneer and fry until golden on one side, being careful not to burn it. Turn the paneer over and fry on the other side until it has a golden crust. Serve with the tomato-y green beans.

FEELING
VATA

Sub in tempeh instead of paneer occasionally.

FEELING
PITTA

Reduce the onion, garlic and ginger a touch or enjoy less of the sauce.

FEELING
KAPHA

Up the ginger and reduce the quantity of the cheese (or swap for sautéed cooked chickpeas). Add ¼ teaspoon chilli powder.

TIP

•

If you want to dice the carrots, top and tail them, then cut in half lengthways. Half again. Cut into batons or carrot sticks that are around 5–7.5cm (2–3in) long and 1cm (½ in) thick. Then cut them across into equal-sized dice. For perfectly square dice, trim the rounded parts off each side of the carrot to square the edges before cutting the sticks.