National Curry Week 2021

It's National Curry Week 2021 and to celebrate, Oliver Zecchin, co-manager of ESC's Kings Restaurant in Eastbourne, shares his favourite go-to recipe: Paneer, potato and spinach (V) (If you prefer a meat version, it's easy to adapt!). Happy cooking!

You will need:

For the paste

• 1 onion
• 1 chilli or dried chill flakes to taste
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 inch piece of ginger
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the curry

• 1 block of paneer cheese
• 250g baby potatoes
• 1 bag of spinach
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

Method:

1. Dice the onion and sweat gently in a pan with a pinch of salt until the onion becomes soft and sweet.
2. Place the diced onion in a food processor and blend with the remaining ingredients for the paste until smooth.
3. Cut any larger potatoes in half and bring to a boil in some salt water. To test the potatoes, place a small knife in a potato, if it falls off the knife when lifted, it is good to go.
4. Wilt the spinach in a dry hot pan. Try to remove as much excess water as possible by ringing it through some kitchen towel or in a salad spinner if you have one.
5. Cut the paneer cheese into 1cm square cubes and lightly fry in a pan with some oil until golden brown. (Paneer cheese is an Indian cheese used for cooking and doesn’t melt as you would expect any other cheese to!)
6. Fry the curry paste for 2-3 minutes on a medium heat before adding the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer before adding the cheese, spinach and potato. Combine gently and season accordingly with salt and pepper. You may need to add a bit of sugar to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes.
7. Serve with rice and/or naan breads.