Weekday Palak Paneer

Weekday Palak Paneer

We love to cook Indian food in our household. Indian cooking has an undeserved reputation for being involved. Not for a weekday meal. Nonsense. Just interpret traditional recipes creatively so you can make them in 30 minutes! It helps to have the staples of Indian cooking on hand: spices like cumin seeds, turmeric, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, hing, ginger, Indian chili powder. And ghee! Unless you live in a really remote area there should be a South-Asian / Indian store in your area where you can get all these things, and more.

Here’s what I have cooking right now: 30 minute Palak Paneer. You may know this as Saag Paneer, a staple at any Indian restaurant. Technically Saag Paneer can be made with any leafy greens, I have made it with half spinach and half mustard greens, which is delicious, Palak is literally spinach, so it’s like Mezcal and Tequila, in the sense that all Tequila is Mezcal but not all Mezcal is Tequila.

In terms of kitchen stuff you will need a big pot (Dutch oven works) or a wok, and a blender (immersion blender shoud work too.)

Palak Paneer

Ingredients: (see notes for subs / tips - don’t be intimidated)

• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ cup raw cashews, chopped
• 500g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 250g paneer, cubed
• 1 tsp garam masala
• a pinch of hing
• a pinch of dry fenugreek leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the ghee on medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds. Once they start crackling, add the onion and cook for a few minutes until the onions are soft but not browned. Turn the heat down to medium.
2. Add ginger and garlic, cook for another minute. Add tomatoes, cook for a couple of minutes until they are soft too.
3. Add turmeric, coriander, and red chili powder. Cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Add raw spinach. Cook until wilted (3-4 minutes).
5. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to mix. You want it to be completely pureed.
6. Return to pan. Simmer for at least 5 minutes to let the spinach cook through properly. Longer does not hurt.
7. A few minutes before serving, add the paneer cubes, and salt to taste.
8. Right before serving, stir in hing, garam masala and fenugreek leaves.

I like this dish with some cauliflower rice or roasted cauliflower, and some bread / naan. Of course rice is always an option, but this is quite a heavy dish, and rice just adds a lot of “weight” to it, for lack of a better term.

Tips:

• You can use oil instead of ghee. I love the character that ghee gives to any Indian dish, but oil will not ruin it. I’d use a neutral oil or coconut oil. No olive oil.
• Don’t sweat the spices. I’d say the cumin, turmeric and garam masala are non-negotiables, but everything else is gravy. If you don’t have cumin seeds, use powder.
• Stir often at all stages. You don’t want anything to brown / burn.
• For even more convenience, try ginger-garlic paste instead of fresh ginger and garlic. I see that a lot in other recipes. Me, I like me some fresh garlic and I keep a large supply of ginger root in the freezer.
• If you want to use canned diced tomatoes, totally fine, but drain them. Whatever you use, make sure the tomatoes get a chance to cook.
• Same goes for the spinach. Give it time to cook after blending. Otherwise you’ll get a raw spinach / raw tomato taste that doesn’t do the flavor any favors.
• Paneer freezes well. If you buy a big block, cube it, freeze it and take from the freezer what you need.
• The cashews are my way of making the paneer creamy without cream. They need to be raw cashews if you’re going to use them. You can use cream instead - I’d use heavy cream rather than sour cream.
• Don’t worry too much about finely chopping anything, it’s all going to be blended up.
• For me this recipe comes out differently every time. It’s very forgiving if you just follow the basic steps.
• Garnish options: some cream, mango pickle, squeeze of lime, cilantro.