059 / 75 · Vegetables, fish and hearty plates
Tomato, Paneer and Spinach Plates
2 paneer plates, each with half the cheese, vegetables and sauce and 60 g (2.1 oz) naan · Active 18 min · Cook 12 min · Total 35 min
Print recipe · PDFFresh tomatoes make a light sauce for paneer, with spinach folded in during the final gentle heating. The cheese stays in soft distinct cubes rather than developing a fried crust. Measured naan is included on the side, ready to scoop the tomato juices from each bowl.
Soften the tomato first
Small tomato pieces release their juices more evenly than large quarters. Give them their own covered stage with finely grated ginger and garlic. The sauce should be loose and the tomato flesh soft before cheese and spinach go in. Retain the juices; there is no hidden pot of curry sauce or cream.
Choose the prepared cheese correctly
Use plain commercially packaged paneer made with pasteurized milk. Keep it refrigerated and follow the actual label handling and cooking directions. This method heats the small cubes fully through the sauce before the covered stand; it does not serve the cheese cold. A product requiring a separate specified cook needs that process completed in full as well and changes the clock. The microwave produces pale cooked cubes rather than the golden surface of fried paneer.
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.6 oz) ripe tomatoes, washed and cut into 1 cm (⅜ in) pieces, all juices retained
- 225 g (7.9 oz) plain commercially packaged paneer made with pasteurized milk, refrigerated, drained and cut into 1 cm (⅜ in) cubes; follow all package handling and cooking instructions
- 100 g (3.5 oz) fresh baby spinach, washed and drained
- 45 ml (3 US tbsp) water
- 5 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 5 g garlic, about 1 large clove, finely grated
- 10 ml (2 US tsp) olive oil
- 1 g ground cumin, about ½ US tsp
- 0.5 g ground turmeric, about ¼ US tsp
- 1 g sweet paprika, about ½ US tsp
- 0.5 g fine salt, a small pinch
- 120 g (4.2 oz) ready-to-eat soft naan, divided 60 g (2.1 oz) per person
Set out
1000 W microwave with turntable, Microwave-safe bowl, 2 L (2.1 US qt) capacity, with vented cover, Microwave-safe plate for naan, Microwave-safe plate cover, Knife and board, Fine grater, Spoon, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Food thermometer, Oven mitts, Two serving bowls
Allergens
Milk, Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Put tomatoes and their juice, water, ginger, garlic, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, paprika and salt in the 2 L bowl. Cover with the vented cover and microwave at 1000 W full power for 3 minutes. Stir, then cook 1–2 minutes more until the tomatoes are fully soft and juicy.
- Fold in all the paneer cubes and spinach. Cover again and microwave at 70% power for 2 minutes. Stir gently from the bottom to distribute the wilting leaves and cheese. Continue at 70% power in 1-minute bursts for about 2–4 minutes more, until the spinach has fully wilted and 165°F/74°C is reached in the center and several other areas. Add extra bursts and recheck if needed.
- Leave the covered bowl outside the oven for 2 minutes. During that stand, warm the measured ready-to-eat naan on a covered microwave-safe plate at full power for 20 seconds, turn and heat 10–20 seconds more if needed. Follow a longer full naan label instruction if required and allow the extra time.
- Divide all the paneer, spinach, tomato and sauce between two bowls. Serve 60 g warm naan with each. The paneer remains pale distinct cubes; no cream swirl, toasted spices or extra herb garnish is part of the portion.
No fried-cheese stage
Covered microwave heating does not create a seared paneer surface. Gentle bursts and stirring keep the small cubes distinct while the spinach wilts.
Bread is measured
The batch includes 120 g ready-to-eat naan, split 60 g per person. Follow its full warming instructions rather than inventing a second appliance or leaving the side quantity open.
Ingredient labels
Naan may also contain eggs, sesame, soy or additional allergens. Read the actual paneer and bread labels; the tofu variation contains soy.
A useful detail
The 35-minute estimate allows chopping and grating, up to 5 minutes tomato heating, 6 minutes gentle cheese-spinach heating and less than 1 minute naan warming, plus the covered stand and serving. Naan warms during the main bowl's stand. Longer product-label instructions or extra temperature-check bursts extend the clock. Use pasteurized commercially packaged paneer and complete any additional label cooking requirements; a longer or separate specified process extends the estimate.
Another way
- Replace paneer with 225 g (7.9 oz) ready-to-eat pasteurized firm tofu in small cubes, with a label permitting ready-to-eat use. Soy replaces milk in that component, but naan may still contain milk.
- Use 100 g (3.5 oz) washed finely sliced fresh Swiss chard leaves, tough stalk removed, instead of spinach. It may need an additional short burst to become tender.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below, or a colder temperature if the cheese label requires it. Use within 2 days or sooner if a product label directs. Keep naan separate. Reheat once, covered with gentle stirring, until 165°F/74°C throughout, then stand covered for 2 minutes.