04/11/2025
I am a massive fan of beans of all varieties and I was fortunate enough to be gifted 6 jars of the rather delicious Bold Beans from the
They have a wonderful website Bold Bean Co with lots of fab bean recipes so I decided to make this delicious Paneer Curry with chickpeas.
Since we are looking at building our immune system over on the Wellness Hub this month, this recipe includes garlic, onion, ginger, chilli, turmeric, all superstars at this time of year for fighting infection.
I adapted this recipe by adding frozen peas for extra protein and fibre and instead of pre frying the paneer, I simply cubed it and cooked it in my air fryer for 10 minutes on high to brown it.
This recipe would work equally well with cubed firm tofu, pressed to remove excess water.
This is definitely a keeper of a recipe so without further ado, here it is!
Ingredients
* I jar of queen chickpeas with their liquid or 2 tins of standard chickpeas
* 1 cup of frozen peas
* 1 tablespoon of coconut or rapeseed oil
* 1 226g block of paneer OR a block of firm tofu
* 1 onion, roughly chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
* 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, zested or finely grated
* 1 green chilli, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon tomato puree
* 1 tablespoon garam masala
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
* freshly ground black pepper
* 1 400g can of chopped tomatoes
* 1 tablespoon mango chutney
* a bag of baby spinach
* fresh coriander to garnish
Method
1. Cut the paneer or tofu into cubes, either brown it in an air fryer or cook it in a tablespoon of oil over a medium high heat until nicely browned. Remove and keep aside.
2. To a large shallow pan, add a tablespoon of oil, add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
4. Add the tomato puree and all the spices with a splash of water and stir to create a paste.
5. Cook for a couple of minutes until the puree turns a deep red colour.
6. Pour in the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt, simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in the chickpeas with their liquid.
7. Stir to combine then let everything simmer for 10 minutes to allow the beans to soak up the spices.
8. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
9. Finally stir through the mango chutney and paneer or tofu. Check for seasoning, adjusting to taste.
10. Garnish with chopped coriander.
11. Serve with naan or rice.
