White cheese in a buttery tomato gravy

When tomatoes are in season, I love to create summery dishes with lots of tomatoes but generally they are not Indian. This is one of the few Indian dishes where plum tomatoes can be used as their sweet nature are revered rather than avoided. They are the star of this dish; the paneer dutifully adopt their flavours. It is traditionally a formal dish and mild enough for guests who are not used to strong flavours; also a great vegetarian protein option. Normally this dish would have vast amounts of cream and butter and even though this is heavier than many of my other dishes, it will always have a place in my repertoire as it is worth it.

Serves 4

50g unsalted butter

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 black cardamom pod

2 green cardamom pods

2 cloves

1 shard cinnamon

½ onion, finely chopped

20g garlic cloves, made into a paste

15g ginger, peeled and made into a paste

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