Step 1

Finely dice the onions and fry in a high-sided frying pan or saucepan for 5 minutes over a low-medium heat. After this time they should be translucent and soft.

Step 2

Mince the garlic and add to the pan with the onion, then allow to cook for a couple of minutes and stir through the onion.

Step 3

Next add the ground ginger and other spices (garam masala, cumin, coriander, tumeric and optional cayenne) to the pan and allow them to sizzle gently until everything starts to smell fragrant (a couple of mins).

Step 4

Chop the pepper into small chunks and add this to the pan too.

Step 5

Add the tinned tomatoes, green lentils and stock to the pan and bring to the boil before turning right down to a gentle simmer. Allow the curry to cook for 40 minutes, until the sauce has thickened nicely. If it begins to dry out slightly simply add a little more water.

Step 6

While this is cooking, dice the paneer cheese into small chunks and dry fry it in a frying pan, to allow it to colour and lightly caramelise on the outside. Set aside.

Step 7

Wilt the spinach into the curry and add the paneer, before cooking the curry for a further 10 minutes. Then you can serve the paneer and lentil curry on a bed of rice with some yummy poppadums or gluten free onion bhajis and mango chutney on the side!