Hidden-Vegetable Paneer Curry with Wholegrain Couscous Main Dishes

Hidden-Vegetable Paneer Curry with Wholegrain Couscous

Paneer cubes stay firm in a smooth curry sauce made from zucchini, carrot, and onion. Wholegrain couscous absorbs the spiced tomato juices without adding another pan of work.

By Lionel 04 Sep 2026 37 min total 75% in season in Western Europe · Sep 3 min read
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Ingredients

Preparation Steps

  1. Prepare the ingredients

    Cut the Paneer into bite-size cubes. Roughly chop the Onion, Carrot, and Zucchini; finely grate the Garlic and Ginger root. Keep the portions of vegetable broth for the curry and couscous separate.

  2. Brown the paneer

    Heat Olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the Paneer until golden on two sides, about 5 to 6 minutes total, then transfer it to a plate.

  3. Cook the vegetable base

    Lower the heat to medium. Add the Onion, Carrot, Zucchini, and Salt to the skillet and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring regularly, until the Carrot is tender and the vegetables are soft. Stir in the Garlic, Ginger root, Curry powder, and Canned unsalted tomato paste; cook for 1 minute.

  4. Blend the curry sauce

    Pour in the vegetable broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend the mixture until completely smooth with an immersion blender, then return the sauce to a gentle simmer. Stir in the Paneer and Fresh lemon juice; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce coats a spoon and the Paneer is heated through.

  5. Steam the couscous

    Bring the Ready-to-serve vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the Dry couscous, cover, remove from the heat, and leave it for 10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender. Fluff with a fork and serve with the curry.

Recipe insights

Sauce thickness after blending

The blended vegetable base should coat a spoon once the paneer is back in the skillet. If it still runs off freely, keep it at a gentle simmer for a little longer rather than increasing the heat. The paneer has already been browned, so it needs warming without prolonged cooking.

Separate broth portions for couscous

Keep the 200 ml broth for the curry apart from the 300 ml used for the 240 g couscous. The first is blended into the sauce; the second hydrates the grains. Mixing up the portions leaves the sauce loose and the couscous poorly hydrated. Fluff the couscous with a fork as soon as the 10-minute standing time ends to keep the grains separate.

Blend the sauce

You may want more texture in your curry, and that’s fine ; you’re not my three-year-old daughter, who won’t eat vegetables in solid form. Therefore, don’t feel obligated to blend the sauce; you can simply mash it a little to bind everything together while keeping some texture, unless you’re my 93-year-old grandmother with dentures.

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