The New York Times recipe: Creamy paneer, tangy tomatoes and a gorgeously easy dinner

“If you’re going to eat dairy, you should go all in,” said Anita Jaisinghani, the chef and owner of Pondicheri in Houston.

She was talking about a recipe for paneer korma from her cookbook, Masala: Recipes From India, The Land Of Spices. To make the dish, thick slices of the cheese are roasted in yoghurt and ghee until thoroughly bronzed, then added to a sauce of heavy cream and ground almonds that is scented with rose water and cardamom. It’s a combination that walks the line between abundance and overkill, but — thanks to the sharpness of the yoghurt and ginger paste — never crosses it.

Jaisinghani has long been obsessed with paneer. A microbiologist turned chef who was born and raised in Gujarat, a state in western India, she makes big wheels of the mild fresh cheese every few days at the restaurant. Then she uses it everywhere — simmered into curries, nestled into salads like soft croutons, crumbled over vegetables as a creamy finish.

Replacing the usual meat or vegetables in a traditional korma was her way of celebrating the cheese’s milkiness.

“It’s dairy with dairy with dairy with dairy,” she says. “I love it, but it’s not necessarily for everyone.”

Simmering those same yoghurt-roasted paneer slices in a spicy tomato curry, however, is a dish any cheese lover can get behind.

The key to making this dish, which she makes at home, Jaisinghani says, is to bring out the tanginess of the tomatoes, which balances the richness of the cheese.

“Paneer needs an acid; otherwise, it’s super bland,” she says.

A zippy mix of grated ginger and garlic and ground cayenne accomplishes this, while cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric add depth.

It’s also easier: you can roast the cheese in the oven as the tomatoes simmer away on the stove top.

This initial roasting is especially important, she says, when using store-bought paneer, which doesn’t have that same delicate, milky character as homemade cheese.

Then, after adding the roasted paneer to the simmering sauce, it’s essential to wait at least 10 minutes before serving.

“If you let the paneer sit in the hot curry to steam, it plumps up and gets pillowy,” she says, “and that’s what I love about it best.”

Butter-Roasted Paneer With Tomato Curry

Recipe from Anita Jaisinghani

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Roasting mild paneer with yoghurt and ghee (or butter) gives it a complex, toasty flavour that’s balanced by the spices and gentle acidity of a quickly-made tomato curry. This recipe is adapted from Anita Jaisinghani of Pondicheri in Houston. She prepares her own paneer several times a week to use in curries, salads and crumbled over roasted vegetables. But store-bought paneer will work well here and makes this satisfying dish supremely weeknight-friendly. Serve it with rice or flatbread on the side, if you like, to catch the heady sauce. If you have dried fenugreek leaves, you can crumble a tablespoon or so into the curry right at the end.

Ingredients:

450-550g paneer, cut into 2.5cm cubes (2 to 3 packages, depending on size)

5 to 6 tbsp plain whole-milk Greek yoghurt

3 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter, melted

salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp neutral oil, such as vegetable, safflower or grapeseed oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional)

2 cardamom pods, cracked

1 cinnamon stick

1 medium brown onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger (from about 2cm piece)

2 tsp garam masala

¼ tsp ground turmeric

pinch of ground cayenne or red-pepper flakes

1 (400g) can whole plum tomatoes

½ cup coarsely chopped coriander leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish

Preparation:

Step 1 Heat oven to 200C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2 In a mixing bowl, combine paneer, 3 tablespoons yoghurt and ghee. Toss until paneer is well coated, then spread it in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roast until the edges are golden, about 13 to 18 minutes.

Step 4 Using the back of a wooden spoon or your hands, break up tomatoes into pieces and add them, along with their liquid, to the frying pan. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir to combine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture has thickened slightly, 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 5 Remove the pan from the heat and stir in coriander, remaining 1 teaspoon garam masala, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of yoghurt, depending on how creamy you want your sauce. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.

Step 6 Add paneer to pan and gently toss until well coated. Let paneer sit in the sauce for at least 10 minutes to absorb its flavours. Reheat gently over low heat, if needed. Garnish with more coriander and serve.

Serves 3-4

Total time: 30 minutes

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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