Matar paneer with jeera rice

A much-loved North Indian home curry: golden cubes of paneer and sweet peas in a gently spiced tomato sauce, with buttery cumin rice.

Ingredients

• 450 g Paneer, in cubes
• 30 ml Vegetable oil
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 0.2 Garlic, 3 cloves, crushed
• 20 g Fresh ginger, grated
• 1 Fresh chillies, slit, optional
• 3 g Ground cumin
• 5 g Ground coriander
• 2 g Ground turmeric
• 1 g Chilli powder
• 400 g Chopped tomatoes
• 300 g Frozen peas
• 5 g Garam masala
• 3 g Caster sugar
• 50 ml Double cream
• 4 g Salt
• 300 g Basmati rice
• 4 g Cumin seeds
• 15 g Butter
• 10 g Fresh coriander

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the paneer cubes until golden on a few sides. Lift out and drop them into a bowl of warm salted water to keep them soft.
2. In the same pan, fry the onions until golden, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli for a minute.
3. Stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and 200ml water. Simmer until thick.
4. Rinse the rice. Melt the butter in a pan, sizzle the cumin seeds for 30 seconds, stir in the rice, then add 450ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat, then rest with the lid on.
5. Drain the paneer and add it to the sauce with the peas. Simmer until the peas are tender, then stir in the garam masala and cream.
6. Scatter with coriander and serve with the jeera rice.