Paalak Paneer

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:

1. 5 cups spinach leaves (they wilt like crazy when cooked) OR 1 bunch of Red Swiss Chard (I highly recommend the latter!)
2. Paneer - 14 ounces or 400 grams - thawed and cubed
3. 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
4. 2 tomatoes, diced
5. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
6. 1 block inch of ginger crushed/ground with 4 cloves of garlic
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder / jeera powder
8. 1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhania powder
9. 1.5 teaspoons garam masala
10. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
11. 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
12. 1/2 cup milk / half & half / cream
13. 2 teaspoons lemon juice
14. 1/4 cup cilantro / coriander leaves
15. 3 tablespoons olive oil / vegetable oil
16. 1.5 teaspoons salt

Preparation:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 minute. 
5. 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. 
6. 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. 
7. 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. 
8. Taste and adjust for seasoning. If the spinach tastes raw, let the gravy simmer for a few more minutes. 
9. Finally add milk/half & half and give everything a good stir. Let it simmer for 2 minutes. 
10. Remove from heat, and add the paneer. 
11. 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.