An easy, tangy and spicy vegetarian curry with paneer cheese, yoghurt gravy and mango pickles! Perfect for a gluten-free diet and clean eating!
Rinse the rice and soak in cold water for about 30 minutes. Drain in a sieve and put rice into a small to a medium-sized pot. Add 350 ml of water and 3/4 tsp of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce temperature to the lowest setting, put the lid on and let boil for 11 minutes. Then, remove pot from heat without lifting the lid and let stand until the masala is done.
Add the first five spices to a small pan and toast without fat on medium heat until fragrant, for about 1 to 1,5 minutes. Let cool and grind spices in a coffee grinder or spice mill.
Grind nuts into fine powder.
Peel onion and garlic and chop coarsely. Cut ginger into small chunks. Halve the chili and scrape out the seeds. Chop it up coarsely. Put onion, garlic, ginger and chili into a blender and puree to a paste. Wash tomato and cut into small chunks.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a medium pan over medium heat and add the dried chilli. Fry chilli until it begins to brown. Add onion-paste and let fry, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until the raw onion-smell evaporates.
Add tomato, chilli powder, coriander and mango pickles to the pan and let fry for another 2 minutes. Add ground nuts and fry for 2 minutes more, then add the spice mix from above (step 2)
Add besan flour and stir well, until all the flour is incorporated fully. Stir in the yogurt and add a cup of water. Keep on stirring until the curry thickens, then reduce the heat, add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sugar. Stir well and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Cut the paneer cheese into cubes and add to the sauce. Let simmer in the sauce for about 2 minutes. In the meantime, chop fresh herbs and fluff up the rice, using a fork.
Stir fresh herbs and cream into the curry and serve with rice. Enjoy
Recipe adapted from Recipes of India