My oh my, this gluten free paneer and lentil curry is GOOOOOOD! I set out to see if I could create a veggie version of my Indian-style chicken curry and ended up with an entirely new dish.
This gorgeous dish is made with paneer cheese (sort of an Indian-style less-salty halloumi cheese), tinned green lentils, spinach, tomato and spices. The result is a beautifully fragrant and lightly spiced curry, which is perfect served with basmati rice and poppadums.
You can make it spicier if you like it hot, simply add fresh or powdered chilli to the spice mix. The recipe specified below is very mild and suitable for children. My toddler loves this dish!
Should I Serve it Solo or with Other Dishes?
This curry is naturally gluten free and vegetarian and can be had either as a main dish or a side dish. If you are not vegetarian, why not try making this alongside my Indian-Style Chicken Curry for a fun curry night. Or even mix up the Asian flavours and try my South East Asian inspired Satay Chicken Curry.
We generally have this dish as a standalone main course, as it is so lovely and filling on its own. You really don’t miss having meat in the dish as the lentils and paneer as a great substitute.
One side dish I love to make alongside this paneer curry is my homemade gluten free onion bhaji. They are pan-fried, so no deep fat fryer needed only a frying pan, and are incredibly simply to make.
Can I Freeze the Leftovers?
Absolutely! In fact I often freeze any paneer curry leftovers in little portions for Alba’s lunches, or in a larger tupperware if we have a more substantial amount.
Simple microwave to defrost and then reheat, or defrost at room temperature and then reheat in a pan if you do not have a microwave.
Can I Have the Recipe Now Please!
Of course, scroll on down for all the details on how to make this tasty dish, along with some handy photographs. These might be useful to refer to when you are making the recipe, especially if you are not a confident cook.
Enjoy! Laura x
Indian-Style Paneer & Lentil Curry (Serves 4)
Indian-Style Paneer & Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 200g paneer cheese
- 390g tin green lentils, drained and rinsed
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 white onions
- 1 yellow/orange/red pepper
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 100g spinach
Instructions
- Finely dice the onions and fry in a high-sided frying pan or saucepan for 5 minutes over a low-medium heat. After this time they should be translucent and soft.
- Mince the garlic and add to the pan with the onion, then allow to cook for a couple of minutes and stir through the onion.
- Next add the ground ginger and other spices (garam masala, cumin, coriander, tumeric and optional cayenne) to the pan and allow them to sizzle gently until everything starts to smell fragrant (a couple of mins).
- Chop the pepper into small chunks and add this to the pan too.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, green lentils and stock to the pan and bring to the boil before turning right down to a gentle simmer. Allow the curry to cook for 40 minutes, until the sauce has thickened nicely. If it begins to dry out slightly simply add a little more water.
- While this is cooking, dice the paneer cheese into small chunks and dry fry it in a frying pan, to allow it to colour and lightly caramelise on the outside. Set aside.
- Wilt the spinach into the curry and add the paneer, before cooking the curry for a further 10 minutes. Then you can serve the paneer and lentil curry on a bed of rice with some yummy poppadums or gluten free onion bhajis and mango chutney on the side!
If you enjoyed this gluten free paneer and lentil curry you might like some of my other recipes and meal ideas. Here are a few to choose from:
Enjoy! x
