Tandoori paneer and asparagus rolls

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A clever recipe which sees spears of asparagus wrapped in finely sliced and marinated paneer, these cigars can be served as a starter or even as a canapé. The chutneys can both be made in advance and in larger quantities if you like, as they work really well with a whole host of Indian dishes.

First published in 2021

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Paneer rolls

Marinade

Tomato chutney

Mint chutney

To garnish (optional)

  • 2 small beetroot, ideally red and yellow, cooked and finely diced
  • baby salad leaves

Method

1

Blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water for 2 minutes then plunge into iced water to chill

2

Mix together the Greek yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, salt and deggi mirch in a large bowl

3

Place a pan on a low heat and add the oil, turmeric powder and gram flour. Cook gently for two minutes then mix into the yoghurt mixture

4

Cut the paneer into thin, rectangular slices and heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, cook the paneer slices on both sides until golden brown then take off the heat and cover each side with the marinade

5

Spoon a little mango chutney, mixed pickle and grated paneer onto each piece of paneer, then roll up with an asparagus spear and secure with a skewer or cocktail stick. Set aside in the fridge until ready to cook

6

To make the tomato chutney, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Blanch the tomatoes for 2 minutes, then drain. Once cool enough to handle, peel and roughly chop

7

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the ginger and chilli. Cook for 1 minute, then add the red chilli powder, turmeric and a pinch of salt and cook for 1 more minute. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, turn the heat down to low and gently simmer for 6-8 minutes, until the mixture forms a thick sauce. Add the sugar and kasundi mustard sauce, taste for seasoning then blitz until smooth. Set aside

8

For the mint chutney, simply blitz everything together until smooth

9

When ready to cook, preheat an oven to the highest possible setting. Place the paneer-wrapped asparagus on a tray and bake for 5 minutes, until lightly blistered all over. Transfer to plates, add a little of both chutneys to each roll, then serve immediately with the salad and beetroot on the side

  • 2 small beetroot, ideally red and yellow, cooked and finely diced
  • baby salad leaves
First published in 2021

A master of subtle, balanced spicing and with plenty of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants under his belt, Dayashankar Sharma cooks regional Indian dishes with panache at Heritage in Dulwich.

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