Ingredients:

750 g / 1½ lb baby spinach, washed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into long julienne
1½ tbsp chopped garlic
1-2 green chillies, whole
2 tsp ground coriander
salt, to taste
250 g / 8¾ oz ready-made paneer (available from some supermarkets and Asian grocers), cut into cubes, or make your own paneer
½-1 tsp garam masala
6 tbsp whole milk, or 4 tbsp double cream
1-2 tsp lemon juice, or to taste

Directions:

Blanch the spinach in hot water for three minutes or until wilted. Drain into a colander and run cold water over it until cool. In a food processor or blender, blend to a smooth paste and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the cumin and fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, then add the onion and fry over a low heat for about six minutes, until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies and cook for a further minute.

Add the ground coriander and salt to taste. Cook for another 30 seconds then add the spinach and a splash of water if necessary. The mixture should be loose but not watery. Bring to a boil and then simmer for three minutes.

Add the paneer cubes, garam masala and milk or cream. Stir and cook for a few minutes or until the spinach is nice and creamy. Stir in the lemon juice to taste. Serve with pilaff rice or naan bread.

Ingredients:

For the marinade:
125 ml / 4½ fl oz Greek-style yoghurt
small knob fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
salt, to taste
½ tsp chilli powder, or to taste
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp gram flour (also called chickpea flour)
1 tsp cumin powder
seeds of 6 green cardamom, ground

For the skewers:
300 gm / 10 ½ oz paneer, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
1 large onion, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
1 green and 1 red capsicum pepper, cored and cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
oil, for greasing
6 wooden skewers, soaked for an hour
2 tbsp butter, melted, for drizzling
chaat masala (a dried spice mixture available from Asian grocers), to sprinkle

Directions:

For the marinade, mix together all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the paneer, onion and peppers. Cover with cling film and allow the paneer and vegetables to marinate for 30-40 minutes, or longer, in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6 and oil a baking sheet.

Thread the vegetables and paneer alternately onto the skewers. Bake in the oven for seven minutes, drizzle over the melted butter, turn and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until charred at the edges.

Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve. They are also great served with a green chutney.

Ingredients:

For the spinach paste:
225g / 8oz baby spinach leaves, washed
45g / 1¾ oz fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
5cm / 2in piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
6 tbsp roasted and salted peanuts
2-3 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-3 green chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped (optional)

For the tandoori mushrooms:
75ml / 2½fl oz Greek-style yoghurt
1 tsp each garam masala, ground cumin, ground fennel seeds and green cardamom powder
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 rounded tsp grated ginger
2 tsp gram flour
salt, to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
¼-½ tsp red chilli powder, or to taste
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp water
200g / 7oz Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, boiled for 15 minutes, cooled and thickly sliced

For the paneer:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
100ml/3½fl oz water
300-350 g / 10-12 oz paneer, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
½ small onion, thinly sliced

To serve:
5 ready-made flour tortillas, wrapped in foil and placed in the oven for the last five minutes of cooking. You'll need 5-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for half an hour

Directions:

For the spinach paste, place all the spinach paste ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. For the tandoori mushrooms, place all the ingredients except the mushrooms into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add the mushrooms to the paste and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6.

For the paneer, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the spinach paste and the water and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the paste starts to thicken. Add the paneer and the onion and cook for another minute, or until the onion just starts to soften.

Meanwhile, thread the marinated mushrooms onto skewers, place onto an oiled baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Once cooked, add the mushrooms to the paneer mixture.

To serve, divide the filling into five portions and place each portion onto a warmed tortilla. Roll up and cut on the diagonal.

This is the recipe for making Paneer or Cottage Cheese used in many Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern dishes.