Sticky Teriyaki Paneer with Tenderstem Broccoli

Ever since my Subway days (see previous post for reference) I've loved the taste of teriyaki sauce. It's sticky, it's sweet, and it's a little salty (like me when I'm hangry). All of these factors make it one of the perfect sauces to use in a stir-fry, so when I came across this recipe in my beloved Joe Wicks cookbook it's fair to say I was buzzing!

The original recipe uses tofu instead of paneer, however a) I love paneer, and b) I had paneer to use up and forgot to buy tofu - oops. It actually worked out really well - the paneer seemed to absorb the teriyaki as I would expect tofu to do, and since it's not got a strong flavour itself it also didn't affect the dish as a whole. If you want to try this recipe out you can use either or, depending on your personal taste. I'm definitely going to be remembering to buy tofu next time I do a shop so I can compare the two and decide on a favourite, so maybe you could do the same!

Obviously by using paneer this dish was not as easily vegan as if I had used tofu, however it's still pretty simple: swap the paneer for tofu as per the original recipe, and swap the egg noodles for a dairy-free alternative such as rice noodles. I did a bit of googling and apparently most teriyaki sauces are vegan, but of course check the packaging as usual. If you like the sound of this recipe check out my short step-by-step video on my YouTube channel, and keep scrolling for the full ingredient list & method. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

• 100 grams of paneer

• Two tablespoons of teriyaki sauce - you can find this in the world foods aisle at most big supermarkets!

• Two teaspoons of coconut oil

• One tablespoon of soy sauce

• One teaspoon of garlic paste

• One teaspoon of ginger paste

• Three to four spring onions, depending how big they are

• Six pieces of tenderstem broccoli

• Six to eight baby sweetcorns

• 200 grams of egg noodles

• A handful of cashew nuts

• A handful of coriander

Method:

1. Rinse your veg thoroughly, then begin by chopping your spring onions into small pieces

2. Next, slice your baby corn in half lengthways - if they're big baby corn then you may want to chop these slices in half too - then cut your tenderstem broccoli into thirds

3. Grab the paneer and chop this into cubes of about one centimetre

4. Get yourself about a tablespoon of warm water in a mug and add your teriyaki sauce, making sure to mix well

5. Next, add one teaspoon of coconut oil to a small frying pan over a high heat, add the paneer to the pan, then add two thirds of your teriyaki mix - this is about two tablespoons

6. Give this a good stir, making sure your paneer is fully coated with the teriyaki sauce

7. Grab yourself a large frying pan and add the other teaspoon of coconut oil to it

8. Over a medium heat, add your garlic paste, ginger paste and all the veg, stirring everything together

9. Turn the paneer pan down to a low heat and leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally

10. Meanwhile, boil the kettle and add your egg noodles - cook as per the packet instructions

11. Whilst everything is cooking, roughly chop your cashew nuts and coriander

12. Drain your noodles and add them to the pan of veg, then add your chopped nuts and coriander, mixing well

13. Then, in the same pan pop in your soy sauce and the rest of the teriyaki sauce

14. Stir this pan continuously on a medium heat for around three to five minutes before dishing up into bowls, adding the paneer on top and enjoying!

I'm really thrilled that this teriyaki dish worked out as well as it did. I was worried that because I was using paneer instead of tofu that the whole dish would be ruined, leaving me heartbroken and hungry (what's worse?), however I need not have worried. No complaints from myself - you are your harshest critic after all - and none from my resident food-sampler either. Score!

As you probably know I'm usually cooking for two, so the measurements above will serve two people a lovely big bowl each to tuck into. If there are more or less than two of you, whip out your phone (surely no one has an actual calculator anymore) and do some simple multiplying or dividing to work out how much you'll need of everything.

If you like the sound of this recipe, why not give it a go yourself? It's super easy and super tasty! And if you enjoy Asian-inspired cuisine as much as I do, you could even whip this teriyaki dish up alongside my scrummy satay noodle recipe or the paneer saag aloo I raved (and am still raving) about, and enjoy bursts of flavours from China, India and Japan all in one sitting. Who needs to fork out thousands for a holiday when you can bring it straight to your kitchen (and then your fork...sorry...), am I right?

If you do make your own, let me know how you get on in the comments or on any of my social channels!