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Tiffin Box with Chickpea Curry, Kadhai Paneer, Cauliflower Okra Chips, Grandma's Mustard Pickle
Recipe by Depinder Chhibber
This Indian tiffin box is full of spice, heat and flavour and is perfect for vegetarians!
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Chickpea Curry
Kadhai Paneer
Gobi Paratha
Stir Fried Rice
Okra Chips
Mustard Pickle
To taste
Garnish
Select All
Steps
- For the Chickpea Curry, place ghee into a pan over low heat. Add asafoetida, black cardamom, bay leaves, 1 tsp cumin seeds and allow to sizzle. Once fragrant, add onion and cook slowly, until lightly golden.
- Place chillies, ginger and garlic into a small food processor and blend to a coarse paste. Add 2 tablespoon of the paste to the pan with the onions and cook until brown in colour. Reserve remaining paste for later use.
- Place remaining cumin, coriander, cinnamon, star anise, green cardamom, cloves and black peppercorns into a small frypan over low heat. Toast until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder and process until fine. Add 3 tablespoons to the onion mixture along with turmeric and cook until fragrant. Reserve remaining spice mix for later use.
- Add tomato paste and 2 cups water to cook through. Add the chickpeas.
- Cook the curry and add salt, sugar, lemon juice and anardana powder. Cook until the chickpeas are just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- For the Kadhai Paneer, place the ghee, sliced and diced onion, reserved chilli paste, reserved spice mix and tomato paste into a frypan over medium heat. Cook until lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add turmeric, chilli powder, tomatoes, canned tomatoes and salt and cook through.
- Add juice of ½ lemon and the sugar and stir through. Add the capsicum and onion cubes and cook until just softened. Add water and paneer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- For the Gobi Paratha, place flour, 1 tablespoon ghee and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer and continuously add water until a dough comes together. Knead the dough by hand for 3-4 minutes until soft and smooth. Coat with ghee and a wet paper towel and set aside.
- Mix together cauliflower, chilli paste, chilli powder, lemon juice, spice mix and salt and set aside.
- For the paratha, divide the dough into 4 balls and using a rolling pin, roll into a flat circle. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cauliflower mixture over the surface. Roll up into a log then curl into a coil. Roll out until thin and flat.
- Cook in a hot frying pan and once it starts to brown, add ghee and fry it until its browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm. Repeat to make another 3 paratha.
- For the Stir Fried Rice, rinse rice until the water runs clear. Boil water, add salt and 1 tablespoon ghee and cook rice until just tender, about 15 minutes.
- Strain the cooked rice and toss through another tablespoon of ghee. Set aside.
- In a pan, add 1 tablespoon ghee and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds pop, add curry leaves and rice. Add turmeric powder, lemon juice and salt, mix well and remove from the heat.
- For the Okra Chips, heat the oil in a saucepan or deep fryer to 160°C.
- Slice the okra into long strips and set aside.
- Place the remaining ingredients into a medium bowl and about 220ml to make a batter with a thick pourable consistency.
- Once the oil is hot, toss the okra in the chickpea batter and coat thoroughly. Drop them into the oil and fry until golden brown and crisp. Set aside on paper towel.
- For the Mustard Pickles, place carrots and cauliflower into a glass bowl, cover with cling film and microwave for 3 minutes.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl then add the drained carrots and cauliflower. Set aside to pickle then drain well to serve.
- To serve, slice the paratha into quarters and place them in the bento box next to the okra chips.
- Arrange remaining dishes in the bento box. Garnish the kadhai paneer with cashews and coriander leaves. Garnish the chickpea curry with coriander.
