Tuesday 10 July 2012

Palak Paneer (spinach and cottage cheese)


Another hot favorite North Indian dish! This mildly flavored dish is super healthy too. If Paneer is not on hand or you want a dairy-free option you can also use tofu or veggies like cauliflower or potato.
Ingredients:

500 gms Paneer (look below for recipe to make your own Paneer)
2 medium-sized bunches of fresh spinach (approximately 1 lb or 500 gms)
1/2 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves (approximately 1/4 lb or 125 gms)
4 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
1 large onion chopped fine
1 large tomato diced
2 tsps garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of butter to garnish
Preparation:

Cut the paneer into 1" cubes. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and stir-fry the paneer till golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Keep aside.
Add 2 tbsps of oil to the same pan and fry the onions in it till soft.
Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for a minute.
Add the spinach, fenugreek leaves, tomato, coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala powders and mix well. Add salt to taste and mix well.
Cook till the spinach and fenugreek leaves are soft and like pulp. Mash well into a rough paste. If you prefer, you can also blend this paste in the food processor to get a smoother consistency.
Add the previously fried paneer cubes to this gravy and mix to coat the pieces.
Garnish with butter and serve hot with Chapatis (Indian flatbread), parathas (pan-fried Indian flatbread) or Makki Ki Roti (pan-fried maize bread).

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