Curry with tomatoes and paneer

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g paneer (Indian cream cheese), bought or homemade, alternatively halloumi
• 500 g tomatoes
• 2 tbsp ghee or butter
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 tbsp cashew nuts
• ½ tbsp cumin
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 ginger, approx. 2.5 cm
• 1 tbsp fenugreek, dried and shredded (Kasuri Methi)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp coriander, ground or crushed in a mortar
• ½ tbsp garam masala, optional
• 1 tbsp salt
• some chili powder or cayenne pepper
• 100 ml cream
• n. B. water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Indian recipe

Buy ready-made paneer or make it using 2 liters of milk, following a chef’s recipe. Store-bought halloumi will also do in a pinch. Homemade paneer is best made the day before and stored in cling film in the refrigerator. On the day of cooking, cut it into approximately 2.5 cm cubes. Soak the cashews in a little warm water for 15 minutes, drain, and blend or crush them as finely as possible in a mortar and pestle. Quarter the tomatoes and cook covered in 100 ml of water for 5 minutes. Let cool and puree together with the cooking water. Finely grate the garlic and ginger. Heat the oil and ghee or butter in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and fry for about 1 minute, then add the garlic and ginger mixture. Caution: The fat must not be too hot, otherwise it will splatter! As soon as the garlic and ginger begin to brown, deglaze with the tomato puree. Simmer for 15 minutes with the lid open until reduced. Stir in the fenugreek and tomato paste. Add the coriander powder, garam masala, salt, and chili powder and cook for a few minutes. Add the cashews and cook briefly. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream (and a little water if needed), and then add the cheese cubes. Reheat if necessary, but do not allow it to boil again and do not stir too vigorously, so the cheese does not break down. Test the heat and adjust the spice level with chili powder, if desired. Serve with basmati rice and/or Indian flatbread. Note: This is an original Indian recipe. As is typical for Indian cuisine, it takes a little longer to prepare, but it is not difficult, and many things can be prepared well in advance. Unlike Indian cookbooks in Germany, authentic Indian cuisine uses large quantities of spices. With the exception of the chili powder, I have adopted this to give you a taste of authentic Indian flavor.