Palak Paneer, a spinach and cheese curry
Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese) was my first preference when I visited a Punjabi dhaba (restaurant). I am always on the lookout for a good dhaba to explore the amazing food on offer, which any day is preferred over fancy restaurant food. In a typical dhaba, the food is usually served on steel plates and the thali includes a delicious collection of foods served with raw onions and whole green chilli (which I never dared to chew).
This North Indian dish is rich in protein, iron and has an unbeatable flavor when eaten with fresh naan or roti. It looks so tempting with its creamy spinach green contrasting with the pure white paneer.
Paneer is made by adding lemon juice in hot milk. While the milk is boiling, she add lemon juice and wait until the curd separates from the whey. The curd is then drained and excess water is squeezed out, the resulting product is Paneer. To make your life much simpler, you can go to any grocery store in India and buy ready-made paneer.
Ingredients (3-4 servings)
- Spinach (palak) –1 large bunch or large package
- Paneer – 200 grams
- Onions – 2 (coarsely chopped)
- Tomato–1 (large)
- Ginger-garlic paste: 1/2 tablespoon
- Green chillies–5-6
- Sour cream–1 large spoon
- Clove–3-4 (powder)
- Cumin (Jeera) powder – 1 teaspoon
- Oil-1/4 cup
recipe
Paneer – If you are using frozen paneer, take it out and keep it at room temperature for 3-4 hours before cooking or you can thaw it. Take oil in a medium size thick tawa (flat pan) and put very little oil in it. Add the paneer cubes and fry until golden brown. Sprinkle some salt on it and set it aside.
Sauce: Steam spinach (palak) in a steamer or pan for about 5-6 minutes. To steam in a pan, slice the palak and add a tablespoon of water and cover for 5-6 minutes. Take spinach, onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic, chillies and make a fine paste in a blender.
Take a non-stick skillet and pour oil into it and heat over medium heat. Add jeera powder, cloves, turmeric and sauté for a few seconds. Now add the mash paste, keep stirring it as it tends to flutter. Partially cover the pan for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add some water if the gravity is too thick. Add salt and a pinch of sugar. Add the sour cream, mix gently and add the paneer. Cook for 5-6 minutes before removing it from the stove. Serve with roti or chapati.
Note: You can grill the whole paneer by simply placing the paneer slab on tava and grilling it on both sides until golden brown. Cut into small pieces when cool.