Spiced Paneer with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Red Onions

Serves: 4-6 - Time:

Spiced Paneer with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Red Onions
Spiced Paneer with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Red Onions Spiced Paneer with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Red Onions

You could serve this as a vegetarian main course or as a dish to accompany a meaty curry. Most recipes call for paneer to be fried but I hate frying the cheesy cubes as they have a tendency to spit violently. In the oven there is no danger of nasty little burns from hot fat. I rarely eat sprouts any other way now-roasting intensifies their flavour and gives the outer leaves a little crispy crunch. The ingredients list is quite long but don’t let that put you off. This recipe is really easy to put together and there’s very little fiddling around. You don’t have to use pomegranate molasses- it may not be something you have to hand in the larder -but it gives a little fruity sourness to the dish which works very well with the vegetables and paneer.

Ingredients

  • 290g carrots, about 3-4 medium-sized ones, scrubbed
  • 2 red onions, peeled and cut into eighths
  • 450g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved if large
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 unpeeled garlic cloves
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2.5cm piece root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 400g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
  • 50g lightly toasted pecans, roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (optional) 
Spiced Paneer with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Red Onions

Method

  1. Heat the oven to fan 190˚, mark 5. Cut the carrots into 2cm chunks and place in a roasting tin with the onion wedges and Brussels sprouts. Pour over 2 tablespoons of the oil and season well with salt and ground black pepper. Add the garlic cloves.mix well and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes, turning the vegetables over halfway through.
  2. Put the chilli, ginger, garam masala, cumin seeds and ground coriander into a separate roasting tin with the remaining three tablespoons of oil. Add the paneer and mix together to coat the cubes of cheese. Season well with salt and ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. turn the cubes over and sprinkle over the nigella seeds. Roast for a further 8-10 minutes until the paneer is golden and crispy around the edges. Tip the paneer and spices over the vegetables and mix. Sprinkle with the toasted pecans and drizzle with the pomegranate molasses if using. Serve warm.   
Spiced Paneer with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Red Onions