Paneer, Chickpeas and Potatoes

This is a version of a recipe from the Dishoom cookbook. My husband made it for dinner one Sunday night and asked me to make puris to go with it. It’s the sort of thing you can make easily for lots of people. One pot dishes can often be a bit underwhelming and I’m reluctant to make them for an occasion but I feel this subji passes the test. It can be made in advance and reheated when your guests arrive. This serve two but you can scale everything up.

Ingredients

1 large potato

1 tin of chickpeas

1 packet of paneer (225g) or homemade paneer, using two litres of milk

2 teaspoons ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon deggi mirch or other medium chilli powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida

1 thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

1/2 amchur powder, or a splash of lemon juice

a handful of fresh coriander

2 tablespoons lime juice

  1. Chop the potato into small cubes and steam until soft. While the potato steams, make your chaunk. Heat a tablespoon of oil over a low heat and add the cumin seeds; grate the ginger, then add it to the oil. Stir to make sure it doesn’t burn.
  2. Add the dried coriander, chili powder, asafoetida and turmeric. Stir to stop them sticking. Add the chickpeas along with a glug of water – simmer over a low heat and add the garam masala, fenugreek leaves, amchur powder, salt and pepper.
  3. While the chickpeas simmer, fry the paneer. I fry mine on a non-stick crepe pan. It is very high in fat so you don’t need to add any to the frying pan. Cut the paneer into cubes – cook them over a medium heat, turning over as each side cooks. Hover over them – they won’t take long to cook. Once they are done, throw them straight in with the chickpeas. Then add the potatoes. Add a glug of lime juice, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with puris. You could also serve this with rice or parathas.
  4. If you are going to make puris, make the dough before you start the subji. It can rise as you make the subji. Once the subji is done, make the puris. The paneer will improve if it sits in the subji juice for a bit and you can give it another blast of heat if needed before you serve it.