Indian-style panzanella recipe
This dish incorporates all the elements associated with the rustic Italian bread salad but comes with an Indian twist. Paneer is a semi-hard, mild-tasting Indian cheese and is now readily available sold in blocks in Asian stores or supermarkets.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Balti or other curry paste
- 2 tbsp Sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing and deep-frying
- 300 g Paneer cheese, cut into 12 slices
- 150 g Cooked chickpeas
- 1 Small cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and cut into small chunks
- 2 Small naan breads, split open
- 250 g Cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Small red onion, sliced into thin rings
- 1 Small fennel bulb, finely sliced
- 1 Lime, juice of
- 4 Uncooked poppadoms
- 125 ml Natural yoghurt
- 1 Garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful Mint leaves, to serve
- 6 tbsp Balti or other curry paste
- 2 tbsp Sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing and deep-frying
- 10.6 oz Paneer cheese, cut into 12 slices
- 5.3 oz Cooked chickpeas
- 1 Small cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and cut into small chunks
- 2 Small naan breads, split open
- 8.8 oz Cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Small red onion, sliced into thin rings
- 1 Small fennel bulb, finely sliced
- 1 Lime, juice of
- 4 Uncooked poppadoms
- 4.4 fl oz Natural yoghurt
- 1 Garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful Mint leaves, to serve
- 6 tbsp Balti or other curry paste
- 2 tbsp Sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing and deep-frying
- 10.6 oz Paneer cheese, cut into 12 slices
- 5.3 oz Cooked chickpeas
- 1 Small cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and cut into small chunks
- 2 Small naan breads, split open
- 8.8 oz Cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Small red onion, sliced into thin rings
- 1 Small fennel bulb, finely sliced
- 1 Lime, juice of
- 4 Uncooked poppadoms
- 0.5 cup Natural yoghurt
- 1 Garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful Mint leaves, to serve
Details
- Cuisine: Indian
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 60 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Mix together the curry paste and sunflower oil in a shallow dish. Add the paneer and turn to coat in the mixture, then set aside to marinate for one hour
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and lightly grease a large baking sheet with oil. Using a slotted spoon, remove the paneer from the marinade and put it on the baking sheet. Add the chickpeas to the marinade and turn until coated, then transfer to the baking sheet. Roast the paneer and chickpeas for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally, until the paneer is golden and the chickpeas are slightly crisp
- Meanwhile, put the naan bread on a baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes until crisp. Leave to cool, then break into bite-sized pieces
- Put the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and fennel in a bowl, add half of the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Toss well
- Heat 5cm/2in of the sunflower oil in a wide saucepan over a medium-high heat until it reaches 190°C/375°F. A cube of bread will turn golden in 20 seconds when dropped into the oil. Cook the poppadoms, one at a time, for 2-3 seconds each, holding them under the oil with a spatula until puffed up and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper
- Mix together the yogurt, garlic and remaining lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the cumin seeds
- Put one poppadom on each of four plates and top with the tomato salad. Scatter the chickpeas and naan bread over the salad, then top with the paneer and a large spoonful of the yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with a few mint leaves and serve
Also worth your attention:
More recipes from Nicola Graimes
Nicola's book: New Vegetarian Kitchen
Don't bin it! Five uses for yesterday's bread
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