Paneer is such a favorite among my people that we basically invent different ways to add it to our dishes. Paalak (spinach and other types of greens) is good for you, so we have a flavorful gravy made from it. To break the monotony of the unappetizing color and texture we add crispy paneer and then all becomes fine with the world!
Ingredients:
- 5 cups spinach leaves (they wilt like crazy when cooked) OR 1 bunch of Red Swiss Chard (I highly recommend the latter!)
- Paneer - 14 ounces or 400 grams - thawed and cubed
- 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 block inch of ginger crushed/ground with 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder / jeera powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhania powder
- 1.5 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup milk / half & half / cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro / coriander leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil / vegetable oil
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
Preparation:
- Pan fry the paneer cubes with one tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Stir gently/ flip gently to make sure the paneer crisps on all sides to a slight golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Cook the spinach leaves with 1/4 - 1/3 cup of water. The water would seem really less at first, but the spinach will cook/wilt really fast. Boil/cook the spinach on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until spinach wilts and softens. Let the spinach cool. When cooled, grind the spinach (and the water in which it was cooked) to a consistency of your preference. Keep aside.
- In a separate pan, heat two tablespoons oil and add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds begin to sizzle, add the onions and saute on medium heat until they turn translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 minute.
- Add all the spice/powders - turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala. Reduce the heat and mix in the spices for about 30 seconds.
- Then add the tomatoes and stir/cook on medium heat until the tomato softens. Add the tomato paste, some salt and continue to mix everything in for 5 minutes.
- Now add the ground spinach and mix everything in. Add a little water if needed. Cook the gravy on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning. If the spinach tastes raw, let the gravy simmer for a few more minutes.
- Finally add milk/half & half and give everything a good stir. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and add the paneer.
- Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves, and some lemon juice.
The more the paneer seeps in the gravy, the better it will taste. Serve with roti / bread.
Instead of cooking the spinach first and then grinding it, I sometimes grind the raw spinach with water, add it to the gravy (in step 7) and cook/simmer for a much longer period of time until the spinach cooks.
Instead of cooking the spinach first and then grinding it, I sometimes grind the raw spinach with water, add it to the gravy (in step 7) and cook/simmer for a much longer period of time until the spinach cooks.
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