Traditionally, this is made with paneer, an Indian white soft cheese usually presented in cubes. At the recommendation of the 1987 Dairy Diary, I tried using cottage cheese instead. I found that it’s best to put the cheese in after you remove the pot from the heat, otherwise the cheese melts into larger chunks. However, the result is very similar to paneer without having to make your own or buy from a specialty store.

Chick pea paneer is a relatively mild curry. I would recommend it for introducing people to Indian cuisine.

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2.5 cm grated fresh ginger (about 1 tsp)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp butter
• 100g (4oz) canned diced tomatoes
• 225g (8oz) canned chick peas
• 225g (8oz) cottage cheese

Directions:

Make a paste with the garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric and chili powder with the butter in a medium frying pan or pot and fry on medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring.

Add the tomatoes and chick peas and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the cottage cheese.

Serve with Basmati or long grain rice.

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