Put the spinach and 150ml hot water in a pan and cook for three to four minutes, until wilted. Add the flour and blitz to a puree with a hand blender.

To make the tadka, or temper, heat three teaspoons of the ghee in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add the ginger and garlic, and cook for a minute. Add the onions and chillies, and cook for five minutes on a medium heat. Add the salt, turmeric, garam masala and ground cumin, cook for a minute, then stir in the spinach puree, lower the heat and leave to cook gently.

Meanwhile, heat the rest of the ghee in a small frying pan and cook the diced paneer, turning it often, until browned on all sides. Add the paneer to the spinach mix, cook for three or four minutes more, until the paneer is soft and the spinach is nice and smooth, and serve with roti or paratha.

Put all the marinade ingredients except the oil in a bowl, then set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat the ghee in a pan and, once hot, add the ginger and garlic, and cook for two minutes. Stir in the salt, sugar, tandoori masala, garam masala, red chilli powder, ground turmeric, methi and crushed cardamom, and cook for another minute.

Add the pureed tomatoes, stir to combine, then add the cream and cashew paste and cook on a medium heat, still stirring so the sauce doesn’t stick to the base of the pan, for about three minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, heat the oil in a pan and, once hot, add the marinated paneer and fry, turning regularly, for three minutes, until cooked evenly on all sides. Transfer the paneer to the sauce and cook for a further four minutes, until the sauce is creamy and the paneer is soft. Serve with naan or roti.

Put all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, toss to combine, then set aside.

To make the base, heat the oil in a wide-bottomed pan over a medium heat and, once hot, add the panch phoron. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add the garlic, cook for a minute, then add the onion and chillies, and saute, stirring often, for six to seven minutes.

Stir in the salt, chutney, spices, honey, soy sauce, tomato puree and 20ml water, and cook for two minutes. Add the sweet peppers, cook for another two minutes, then stir in the paneer and its marinade. Lower the heat, cover the pan and leave to cook for five minutes, until the paneer is soft to the touch. Serve hot with rice, roti or naan.

To make the batter, sift the flour into a bowl, add the salt, garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder and mix to combine. Gently pour in 100ml water, mixing it in to form a thick batter – it should be sticky and not very runny.

Mix the marinade spices in a second bowl, add the paneer, toss to coat and leave to and marinate for 10 minutes.

Put all the chutney ingredients in a blender and blitz to a fine paste.

Pour oil into a deep pan or wok to come halfway up the sides and heat up carefully. Meanwhile, take one square of paneer, spread a thin layer of the chutney over one side, then put a second paneer square on the top like a sandwich. Transfer to a plate, and repeat with the remaining paneer.

Once the oil is hot, dip the paneer into the batter and, working in batches, deep-fry for three to four minutes, until crisp and golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to drain off the excess oil, and repeat until all the pakoras are fried.

Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with chaat masala and serve with the leftover chutney and a cup of warming chai.