Chickpea, Spinach and Paneer Chaat Bowl
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
This flavourful chickpea spinach and paneer chaat bowl, Inspired by Indian street food flavours, is quick and simple to make thanks to the addition of Birds Eye* frozen chickpea and spinach mix with lentils and cauliflower .
Ingredients
Tamarind date sauce
  • 60g medjool dates, pitted (soak in warm water for 5 minutes if they are tough, then drain well)
  • 2 teaspoons tamarind paste
  • Salt
Dish
  • 450g Birds Eye spinach and chickpea mix
  • 100g paneer, cut into small cubes
  • 1 large banana shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 small red (or green) chilli, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • pinch black pepper
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • olive oil + knob of butter OR ghee to cook
To serve
  • A couple of tablespoons of Greek yoghurt
  • Handful of coriander, leaves left whole/roughly chopped
  • Handful of sev or Bombay mix
  • Cooked Basmati rice
Instructions
  1. First make your tamarind date sauce. Using a small stick blender, blitz up the dates with the tamarind paste and 60mls water, add a pinch of salt to taste and then set aside.
  2. Heat up a tsp of oil (or ghee) in a medium frying pan and add the cubed paneer, cook for 5-6 minutes, until the edged begin to char, transfer the paneer to a plate, and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile put the frozen vegetables into a heat proof bowl and pour over boiling water from the kettle. After a few minutes they should have defrosted, drain well until ready to use.
  4. Add more oil to the pan - around 1 tablespoon and if you like also add a knob of butter (or just use ghee and don't bother with any oil).
  5. Add the shallots and chilli with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes until the shallot has soften, then add the spices and pepper, and allow them to toast in the heat. Then add the drained vegetables back in and cook for 5-6 minutes, before finally adding the paneer back to warm through.
  6. Squeeze in the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the tamarind date paste and check the seasoning to taste.
  7. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the yoghurt, remaining chutney, fresh coriander and sev / Bombay mix.
Notes
Since there isn't a lot of sauce in this dish to wrap round the frozen veggies to help them cook, I decided to defrost the frozen mix briefly before adding to the pan to take on the spices and direct heat from the pan. No need to boil, just pour over boiling water and leave sit for a few minutes. I always do this with peas too!
Recipe by Ceri Jones Chef at https://cerijoneschef.com/chickpea-spinach-paneer-chaat-bowl/