Palak-Style Halloumi & Spinach Curry
A quick, mild spinach curry in a creamy tomato-and-garam-masala sauce, with golden pan-fried halloumi standing in for paneer — a weeknight take on palak paneer from ingredients any shop carries.
Best for vegetarian · quick creamy spinach curry
Palak paneer is Indian home cooking at its most comforting, and this is the fast weeknight version: a silky spinach and tomato sauce warmed with garam masala, ginger and garlic, loosened with a little cream, and studded with cubes of halloumi fried until squeaky and golden. Halloumi is easier to find than paneer and behaves the same way in the pan. It's mild rather than fiery, so it's a real crowd-pleaser; I keep the cream and oil modest and pile in a whole bag of spinach so it stays fresh rather than heavy. Serve it steaming over rice.
Ingredients
- 200 g wholegrain rice , dry, to serve
- 1 piece onion , chopped
- 2 clove garlic cloves , sliced
- 2 piece tomatoes , cut into wedges
- 20 g fresh ginger , peeled and grated
- 30 ml olive oil
- 30 g tomato paste
- 8 g garam masala
- 390 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 100 ml water
- 180 ml whipping cream , or light cooking cream
- 1 piece vegetable stock , crumbled
- 200 g baby spinach
- 350 g halloumi , cubed
- 1 g fine sea salt , to taste
Instructions
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1
Get the rice going first so it's ready with the curry: cook it per the packet.
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2
Peel and chop the onion, slice the garlic, cut the tomatoes into wedges, and peel and finely grate the ginger.
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3
Heat half the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste and garam masala for 3–4 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
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4
Add the fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, water, cream and the crumbled stock cube. Simmer gently for 6–7 minutes to come together, then fold in the spinach and let it wilt.
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5
Meanwhile, cut the halloumi into cubes and fry until golden on all sides in the remaining olive oil in a separate pan.
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6
Stir the halloumi through the sauce, taste and add salt if it needs it (the halloumi and stock are already salty), and serve over the rice.