This is the perfect Halloween supper for good reason

Healthy and wholesome, comforting, and convenient. This South-East Asian dish is one you will return to again and again

Paneer is a cheese commonly found in South-East Asian cuisine and particularly in Indian dishes. The coconut milk in this curry is optional – it is just a little richer with it added.

Indian Curry with Paneer, Cauliflower and Peas

Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 3¼ hours

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp mild Indian curry paste, such as rogan josh
1 small cauliflower (400-500g), cut into small florets
200g paneer, cubed (see tip)
165ml coconut milk (optional)
200g frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or cashew nuts, to serve (optional)
basmati rice, to serve

Method
Heat the oil in the insert pan of a slow cooker or a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes. Add the garam masala and curry paste and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.

O? the heat, add 250ml of water to the frying pan or insert pan and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the base of the pan to get the bits of flavour stuck to the bottom.

Return the insert pan to the slow cooker or transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.

Add the cauliflower, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook on low for 2 hours.

Add the paneer and coconut milk, if using, and cook for a further 1 hour.

Stir in the peas and cook for a final 15 minutes while cooking the rice.

Serve over rice and scatter with the seed crunch or your choice of topping.

Tip
Paneer is available from the cheese section of many supermarkets, or in Indian and Asian grocers.

Extracted from Slow Cooker Vegetarian by Katy Holder (Murdoch Books, approx €20.50). Photography by Alan Benson.