Manchurian Paneer – The Royal Curry Club

Serves 4 as a side dish

Potato is the all-time favourite for side dishes and cauliflower is its popular partner. Aloo Gobi very simple to make with cooked potato and cauliflower pieces added to some Base Curry Sauce.

What you need…
• 250g potato, cut into 5cm chunks
• 250g cauliflower, broken into 5cm florets
• Pinch of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 200g Base Curry Sauce
• salt, to taste
• few coriander leaves, to garnish (optional)

Spice Mix
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

How to make it…
1. Boil the potatoes and cauliflower in water, with the turmeric, until cooked. While they are cooking mix the Spice Mix with enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Heat the ghee to a medium-hot heat and fry the mustard seeds for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
3. Add the garlic paste and ginger paste and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.)
4. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the salt, potatoes and cauliflower, mix carefully so as not to break the vegetables, and cook until heated through.
7. Add the (optional) coriander leaves to garnish.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This recipe will create a dryish dish but if you like more sauce with your side dishes simply add more Base Curry Sauce.

Curry house favourite Aloo Gobi is easy and quick to make.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza
What’s this dish’s favourite song? … Aloo, Is It Me You’re Looking For?

Serves 4 as a main dish

Manchurian Paneer is an Indo-Chinese dish that combines the flavours and cooking techniques of both India and China. The chunks of cheese are fried in a chilli batter then stir fried with garlic, ginger, pepper and spy sauce and top with spring onions. The cuisine emerged from a group of Chinese people, now numbering 2,000, in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and there are a number of restaurants serving the hybrid cuisine in Chinatown in the city.

What you need…
• 500g paneer, cut into chunks
• 10 Tablespoons oil
• 0.5 yellow or green pepper, cut into chunks
• 0.5 red pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 0.5 teaspoon ginger paste
• 0.5 onion, cut into chunks
• 3 chillies, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon cracked black pepper

For the batter
• 5 Tablespoons plain flour
• 1.5 Tablespoons corn flour
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• pinch of salt
• water, as needed

How to make it…
1. Mix the first four ingredients of the batter then add the water bit by bit to form a thin paste.
2. Add the paneer chunks and ensure all are well coated by the paste.
3. Heat the oil to a medium-hot heat then add the paneer chunks until they brown on all sides (about 3 minutes). Turn them frequently to avoid them burning. Remove the paneer from the oil and set aside on a paper towel.
4. Turn down the heat, add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the onion and chillies and fry for 2 minutes.
7. Add the soy sauce, tomato ketchup and 4 tablespoons of the leftover batter paste and stir fry for 1 minute.
8. Add the paneer and fry until all the ingredients are cooked through. The peppers and onions should be softened but not mushy.
9. Sprinkle the spring onions and crack the black pepper on top and serve fresh.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This also makes an excellent and unusual starter. Just half the quantities.

**Manchurian Paneer** is one of the great Indo-Chinese dishes combining flavours from Indian and Chinese cuisine.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza
I asked my friend if he’d like more chillies with his paneer … “No whey!”, he cried.