Curried red quinoa, pea and paneer salad

My daughter loves quinoa in salads. I'm continuously experimenting to introduce Indian food in quinoa-fied form and this one has been on rotation for a while. Though it cooks like a dry curry, it is more like a salad. I also throw in whatever I might have on hand, like shaved asparagus, tomatoes, sliced red onions, arugula [rocket] or even roasted cauliflower.

Curried red quinoa, pea and paneer salad Credit: Kulsum Kunwa

• serves

  2-3

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ginger paste (see note)
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• ¾ cup peas
• ½ cup cubed paneer
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 pinch kasturi methi (see note), crushed 
• ½ cup red quinoa, cooked
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• plain yoghurt and green chutney (see note), to serve

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok over low heat and add the cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add the ginger paste, turmeric, chilli powder and coriander and cook for 1 minute or until the ginger is golden.

Add the peas and paneer, and stir well to coat in the spices. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the peas are softened. Add the garam masala and crushed kasturi methi, then the cooked quinoa and toss well to combine. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm or at room temperature with yoghurt or yoghurt rippled with green chutney.

Note

• Ginger paste is available in bottles from Indian food shops. Alternatively, grind 1 cm piece ginger to a paste.

• Kasturi methi are dried fenugreek leaves, which are crushed between palms and usually added towards the end in curries. They are very aromatic and add a distinct flavour. Available from Indian food shops. If you can’t find them, omit.

• Green chutney, known as hari chutney, is an Indian chutney made from coriander.

Recipe from Journey Kitchen by Kulsum Kunwa, with photographs by Kulsum Kunwa.

Read our Blog Appétit interview with Kulsum Kunwa and view more recipes by her.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.