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Chetna Makan’s new book ‘Chai, Chaat & Chutney’ is a celebration of the food eaten by India’s 1.3 billion population. Chetna travelled to Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai and took inspiration from the food she sampled to create simple recipes which can be cooked at home.

CHILLI PANEER

This yummy recipe is not only simple, it goes well with a lot of other dishes, such as dal and rice, Soft Kachori or, indeed, any flatbread in this book. It makes a fabulous filling for Plain Dosa, too. You can also serve it as a party nibble – just offer cocktail sticks alongside to help your guests pick it up, as you would for marinated olives.

For the paneer

50g (13/4oz) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
300g (101/2oz) paneer, cut into flat slices

For the sauce
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 small green chillies, finely chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

To prepare the paneer, put the flour and salt into a bowl and gradually stir in the measured water to make a smooth batter. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Line a plate with some kitchen paper. Dip the cheese pieces in the batter, transfer them to the pan and fry for about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Remove the cooked paneer pieces with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper-lined plate to drain excess oil.

To make the sauce, add the sunflower oil to the same frying pan in which you cooked the paneer and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and green chillies and fry for about 5 minutes, until the onion is light golden. Add the soy sauce, chilli sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper and mix well.

Transfer the battered paneer to the frying pan, mix the pieces into the sauce well, then take the pan off the heat, transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and serve hot.

More recipes:

Chai, Chaat & Chutney: A Street Food Journey Through India by Chetna Makan is published in hardback by Mitchell Beazley, Photography Nahima Rothacker & Keith James.