Spiced Cauliflower & Paneer Tray Bake with Buttery Onions and Peas
Not got the patience to stand by the hob and cook a curry-style dish, then this spiced cauliflower and paneer tray bake with buttery onions and peas is for you. It takes 45 minutes in the oven, with only minimal attention required as the ingredients are added add various intervals along the way. You could serve with rice, but a shop bough naan will mean less washing up.
Like all good curries, this tray bake starts with a slow cook of the onions in fat (here butter and a dash of oil to stop it burning) to get them sweet and soft before the flavourful, but not too spicy spice paste is added, along with the cauliflower and paneer for a lengthy roast before the peas join for the final few minutes. Let’s not waste those cauliflower leaves either – they make a great garnish!
My spicing was inspired by the idea of simplifying various spice blends I’ve tried over the years in both Paneer Makhani (you should try Monisha Bharadwaj’s authentic recipe) and the ubiquitous Tikka.
Note: most nutrition minded websites and back of paneer packets suggest that a serving size of paneer is a mere 30g per person – laughable, that’s barely 2 cubes each! So, I’ve gone for a much more substantial 100g, which means no waste from a 200g pack. My research across different brands of shop bought paneer, revealed that the amount of fat (and more worryingly saturated fat) varies quite a lot, so if you are being mindful of this then do check your labels. You could, of course replace the paneer with a drained can of chickpeas.
- 2 brown onions, peeled and sliced into wedges
- 20g butter
- 1 cauliflower, broken into small florets + reserve the good-looking leaves.
- 200g paneer cubed into small pieces.
- ½ tsp nigella seeds
- 100g frozen peas, defrosted by running under a cold tap
- Handful coriander
- 1 lemon, juiced
- A neutral oil such as rapeseed, coconut or light olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 small thumbnail piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp mild chilli powder (add more if you like spice)
- Naan / flatbreads and Greek yoghurt
- Pre-heat oven to 180ºC(fan)/ 200ºC/415ºF/Gas mark 6
- Toss the onion wedges into tray, dot over the butter and add a drizzle of oil, season with pinch of salt. Roast for 15 minutes, till starting to start. A few minutes in, It’s a good idea to give the tray a good shake to distribute the butter once it has melted.
- Meanwhile make your spice paste. Combine the grated garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric and chill with the juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoons oil. Season with a pinch of salt and stir into a thick paste.
- After the onions have had 15 mins, remove the tray from the oven, and stir the spice paste into the onions. Mix well, then add the cauliflower and paneer, and mix again to ensure everything is lightly coated. Scatter over the nigella seeds and return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until the cauli and paneer are browned and cooked through.
- Finally add the defrosted peas to the tray bake, toss the cauli leaves lightly in oil and spread out across the top of the bake. Return the tray to the oven for final 5-8 mins for the leaves to crisp up.
- Squeeze over the remaining half of lemon, scatter over the coriander and serve warm with naan or flatbreads and a huge dollop of thick Greek yoghurt.