Cauliflower curry with paneer and chickpeas

Most curries hide their vegetables in the sauce. This one does the opposite. The cauliflower goes into the oven first, tossed in turmeric and roasted until the edges turn golden and a little charred, and then it sits on top of the pan like a crown at the moment you serve. By the time the bowl reaches the table, the florets have kept their bite, and that contrast with the soft sweet potato underneath is the reason I keep coming back to it.

Cauliflower is mostly water, which is why it steams so easily in a pan and why it takes so well to dry heat. Roasting drives some of that moisture off and concentrates the nutty flavour, so the florets taste like themselves rather than like a background note. Turmeric is a good partner here. It is earthy and a bit bitter, and it turns the outside of the florets a warm yellow. Rinse the florets, shake them dry, and let them roast on a sheet that isn't crowded. If they're piled up, they steam and go soft, and you lose the char.

The sauce is simple. Onions go in first and need patience. Keep the heat moderate and stir them for three or four minutes so they soften without browning, because a little sweetness from slow onions does a lot of work in a curry this gentle. Add the sweet potato and red pepper, then the garlic, cumin and curry paste, and let the spices bloom for a couple of minutes before the stock goes in. Cover the pan while the sweet potato finishes, then add the paneer and chickpeas and let it bubble uncovered. Paneer doesn't melt, so it stays in cubes that hold their shape, and the chickpeas soak up the sauce nicely. The frozen peas go in with them and need barely any time at all.

Stir the yoghurt in right at the end, off the heat if you can. It turns the sauce creamy without the weight of cream, and it softens the spice level for anyone who prefers things mild.

Leftovers keep well for two or three days in a sealed container in the fridge. The sauce thickens as it cools, so loosen it with a splash of water when you reheat it. The roasted cauliflower is best kept separate if you can, and reheated briefly in a hot oven so it doesn't go limp. A pot of plain basmati or a warm flatbread alongside is all it needs. If you're making a bigger spread, a bowl of Oven Roasted Vegetables with Creamy Tahini Yoghurt on the table makes a cooling companion, and a light Spiced Mulligatawny Soup with Lentils works well as a starter for a relaxed supper.