Tandoori Paneer
This flavour-packed paneer recipe is a fresh and light twist on a classic tandoori dish. The rich paneer cheese is perfectly balanced with the bright flavours of the salad and the cooling cucumber labneh.
From the book
Buddha Bowls
Make delicious and nourishing Buddha Bowls at home
Creative recipes for every meal of the day
A simple formula of grain + green + protein
Introduction
This Tandoori Paneer is brought to life by a zingy chopped salad with lemon, while a creamy cucumber labneh cuts through the spices.
Ingredients
| 4 tbsp | full-fat natural yoghurt |
| 2 tbsp | tandoori paste |
| 225g | block of paneer, diced |
| Vegetable oil | |
| 200g | cooked farro, cooled |
| 1 tbsp | fresh coriander, chopped |
| A handful | fresh spinach |
| 2 tbsp | toasted chopped nuts such as peanuts, cashews or almonds |
| For the salad: | |
| ½ | red pepper, diced |
| ½ | yellow pepper, diced |
| ½ | cucumber, deseeded and diced |
| ¼ | red onion, peeled and finely diced |
| Juice of ½ lemon, plus extra to serve | |
| 50ml | extra-virgin olive oil |
| Sea salt and black pepper | |
| For the cucumber labneh: | |
| 100ml | labneh or Greek yoghurt |
| ½ | cucumber, deseeded and diced |
| Juice of ½ lemon or lime |
Method
First, mix together the yoghurt and tandoori paste in a bowl and coat the paneer, then leave it to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.
To make the salad, mix the peppers, cucumber, red onion, lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil together in a bowl. Add sea salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
To make the cucumber labneh, mix the labneh or Greek yoghurt, cucumber and lemon or lime juice together in a bowl and set aside in the fridge.
Preheat your grill to its highest heat. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil, then place the marinated paneer pieces on the foil and grill under the high heat for about 20 minutes, turning the pieces occassionally when the edges start to really colour up.
Mix the farro and coriander and place it with the spinach in a serving bowl, followed by the chopped salad, the hot paneer, cucumber labneh and toasted nuts. Give the paneer a good squeeze of lemon before tucking in.
