Charishmas Palak Paneer Food

PALAK PANEER

Steps:

• Soak paneer in a bowl of water for atleast 15-20 minutes. This makes the paneer soft. Drain the water. Cut paneer into cubes.
• Set aside.
• Wash and chop palak finely.
• Cut onions into small pieces.
• Cut tomatoes into 2 inch cubes.
• Heat a little butter.
• Fry palak till it shrinks.
• Allow to cool.
• Grind to a smooth paste.
• Grind cashews and poppy seeds together to a smooth paste.
• Fry all the spices in little ghee and then powder.
• Heat rest of the butter with little oil and fry onions till crisp and golden.
• Add dhania powder, jeera powder(cumin powder), chilli powder and then tomatoes.
• Stir for a minute.
• Add whipped curds.
• Cook on reduced flame till oil floats on top.
• Add salt, sugar, ground palak leaves, turmeric powder and cook for a few minutes.
• Mix cashew-poppy paste and pour just enough water required for the gravy.
• Cook on medium flame till gravy becomes thick.
• Add paneer pieces.
• Remove from heat.
• Sprinkle garam masala powder.
• Serve hot with finely cut onions and lime.

PALAK PANEER RECIPE | SPINACH PANEER

Steps:

• Pluck only the young & tender spinach leaves and discard the stems as they may leave a bitter taste. If using baby spinach you can use the stems as well.
• Add them to a large pot of water. Rinse them well few times & drain to a colander.
• Allow the water to drain completely otherwise it will let out lot of moisture while cooking.
• Heat half tablespoon oil in a pan. Saute green chilies, cashews and spinach for 3 to 4 mins until the leaves wilt off thoroughly & raw smell of spinach has gone away. [OR another option is to blanch the palak in 4 cups of hot water with ¼ tsp salt for 2 mins. Then immerse in ice cold water. Drain completely.]
• Cool this completely. Blend this along with ¼ cup water to a smooth puree. The puree should be smooth and thick. You may add 1 to 2 tbsps more water to help in blending.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter and half tablespoon oil to the same pan, Once they melt, add cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves & cumin seeds.
• When the spices begin to sizzle, add onions and fry till they turn transparent to golden.
• Next saute ginger garlic paste for 1 to 2 minutes or until you begin to smell it nice.
• Then add tomatoes with salt. Saute until they break down and turn mushy.
• Add garam masala & saute until the masala smells good. This may take 2 mins. (for a smoother curry refer notes)
• Pour ¾ cup water and cook covered until onions are completely soft. There should be some water left in the pan. (for consistency check video)
• Lower the flame, add kasuri methi and pureed spinach. Mix well and cook until it begins to bubble for about 2 to 3 mins. If the curry is too thick you may add a few tbsps of hot water.
• Avoid overcooking. Add paneer & mix well. Turn off and remove to a serving bowl. Optionally garnish with cream.
• Serve palak paneer with naan, roti or Jeera rice.

PALAK PANEER (INDIAN FRESH SPINACH WITH PANEER CHEESE)

Steps:

• Cut spinach into shreds and cook in 3 tablespoons water until tender; remove from heat.
• Saute onion, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger in 1-2 tablespoons ghee or oil until onion is translucent.
• Then add garlic and chopped tomatoes, and reduce heat.
• Cook this briefly and slowly blend in yogurt a little at a time to prevent curdling.
• Add coriander, garam masala, paprika, and salt, mixing well.
• Add cooked spinach with liquid, cover and simmer on low heat for approximately 20-30 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Take half of spinach mixture and puree in food processor or blender, and return to mixture and stir.
• Slowly stir in heavy cream, and heat through on low heat.
• Add paneer cubes.
• Serve.

PALAK PANEER

Steps:

• Fill a large Dutch oven with water and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves, fenugreek leaves, mustard greens, grated garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, salt, green chiles and roughly chopped onion. Cover with the lid and boil until cooked, about 5 minutes. Strain the greens, keeping the water, then add the greens to a blender. Blend the greens to a coarse paste, adding a little water if required to move things along in the blender.
• Add the butter to a large Dutch oven and heat over medium-low heat until melted. Add the besan and cook on low heat until it starts turning brown and into a thick roux, about 3 minutes. Add the greens to this mixture and mix well. Cook for another 10 minutes.
• Heat the ghee in a medium saute pan over medium heat until hot and melted. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to sizzle, then add the remaining onion, chopped ginger and chopped garlic and saute until golden, about 3 minutes. Add half of the onion mixture to the greens pot. To the rest of the onion mixture, add the paneer triangles and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Season with the dried fenugreek leaves.
• Add the greens mixture to a serving dish and top with the paneer.

EASY PALAK PANEER

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, red pepper flakes, curry powder, cumin, and salt; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Mix water, spinach, tomatoes, and ginger into the onion mixture; simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer spinach mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir paneer until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir pureed spinach mixture into skillet with paneer. Cook until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

PALAK PANEER - INDIAN SPINACH CURRY WITH HOMEMADE FRESH CHEESE

Steps:

• Saute onion & spices: Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, fenugreek, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened but not golden.
• Add garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato and chilli, cook for 3 minutes on a medium heat.
• Add spinach: Add about 1/3 of the spinach - or as much as you can handle in the pot (!) - and stir until wilted. Then add more spinach along with the water, cook again until wilted. Repeat until all the spinach is wilted.
• Cook 10 minutes: Cook, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes still on a medium heat.
• Cream & lemon: Add the cream and lemon juice. Cook, stirring gently, for 3 minutes.
• Puree half spinach: Remove half the spinach into a tall container and blend it to a puree using a stick blender. Pour pureed spinach back into the pot, and stir to combine.
• Add Pan Fried Paneer: Gently stir in golden pan-fried paneer (see below). Stir gently to mix through.
• Serve over basmati rice with fluffy, chewy homemade naan on the side!

PALAK PANEER

Steps:

• Make paneer: Line a colander with a triple-layer of dampened cheesecloth, leaving a 2- to 3-inch overhang. Place the colander in the sink. Heat the milk in a large non-reactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently to make sure the milk doesn't scorch on the bottom, until the milk comes to a simmer. Turn off the heat and gently stir in 3 tablespoons lemon juice. The milk should start separating into solid curds and a yellowish watery whey. If it doesn't, add a little more lemon juice. Let sit for about 5 minutes in the pot to continue separating, then gently pour into the cheesecloth-lined colander. (If the curds are still very small after 5 minutes then reheat the milk mixture over medium heat and simmer to increase the curd separation).
• Rinse briefly with cold water to remove any lemon flavor. Gather up the sides of the cheesecloth, twist into a ball, and squeeze to wring out as much liquid as possible. Open up the cheesecloth, and mix 1/4 teaspoon salt evenly into the cheese curds. Squeeze into a ball again and wring out any remaining moisture. Flatten the cheesecloth ball into a 3/4-inch thick disc and place on a plate. Weigh down with another plate topped with a heavy item such as a large can. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight, then carefully cut the paneer into 3/4-inch cubes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. In batches, blanch the spinach for about 1 minute in the boiling water and quickly transfer with a spider or slotted spoon to the ice water. Drain the cooked spinach. Place all of it in a blender and puree until mostly but not completely smooth. Reserve.
• Rinse the blender carafe and puree the tomatoes; reserve. Rinse the carafe again and puree the garlic and ginger with 1/4 cup water; reserve.
• Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the paneer cubes and brown well on 2 to 3 sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove to the lined plate and reserve.
• Add another 2 tablespoons ghee to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir until the seeds start to darken and smell toasted, 10 to 30 seconds. Add the serrano chile, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onion is dark brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Turn down the heat if the onion starts to burn.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, cayenne, and half the garam masala. Stir for about 2 minutes, then add the tomato puree, stirring continuously, until the mixture starts to look dry, about 6 minutes. Add the spinach puree, sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the remaining garam masala. (The mixture will be quite thick.) Simmer for 8 minutes, then stir in the heavy cream and remaining 2 tablespoons ghee. Fold in the browned paneer cubes and simmer to warm the paneer through and to thicken the heavy cream, an additional 4 minutes.
• Serve with steamed basmati rice or Indian flatbread and lemon wedges on the side.

PALAK PANEER - VEGANIZED!

Steps:

• Prepare the tofu beforehand by pressing out some of the moisture. The easiest way to do this is to place the block of tofu in a colander, placing a plate on top and then weighing it down with a tin of soup or a heavy skillet. It takes about 1/2 an hour, but you could leave this for however long you need to in the fridge.
• Cut the pressed tofu into one inch cubes.
• Combine the next 7 ingredients, (grated ginger, lemon juice, oil, turmeric, garam masala, sea salt and chili powder if using). Toss in the tofu and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes, or longer if need be. Try to turn a couple of times so that the marinade gets evenly distributed.
• Final step with the tofu is to saute it in about 1 tbsp of the oil. Try to get each side lightly golden. You can use more oil if you want to -- I'm just trying to keep the calories as low as possible. Set aside once done.
• Next step - the spinach. In a dutch oven or large saute pan, heat up about an inch of water. While that's boiling, chop the spinach roughly and then add to the boiling water, steaming until tender (a matter of a few minutes). Once done, turn off the heat and then drain out about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a measuring cup. Once you've taken that 1/4 cup out, there shouldn't be a whole lot left. Set the 1/4 cup of spinach water aside and then puree what's left in the pot together with the steamed spinach. I like to just use an immersion blender right there in the pot -- or you could move to a blender or something similar. Set the spinach aside (I move mine to a bowl and clean out the same pot).
• Next step -- putting it together. Using a mini-blender or food processor, combine the onion, ginger, garlic, fresh chili if using, and the 1/4 cup of spinach water - puree into a smooth paste.
• Heat the remaining tbsp of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the paste (watch out, it will splatter) and fry it for about 30 seconds. Then add your other spices and diced tomatoes. Lower the heat and let that cook gently for about 5 minutes, watching it doesn't burn.
• Add in your pureed spinach and season to taste with salt.
• Next combine the arrowroot powder with the soy milk in a small dish. Once you've removed the lumps, gently stir it in and let the sauce thicken up for a few more minutes. Lastly, add in the tofu and let it warm through, about 10 more minutes.
• Done! Serve with rice or naan etc -- garnish with fresh cilantro if you like, or some more diced fresh tomato.

PALAK PANEER

Steps:

• In a pressure cooker or in a pot with some water , boil spinach, coriander leaves, cubed vegetables, green chilli, garlic and ginger, till done.
• Remove and let it cool.
• Once the vegetables are at room temperature blend the vegetables along with the liquid into a smooth puree.
• In a thick bottomed pot heat the oil and saute the sliced onions till they turn golden brown
• Now reduce the heat and add all the powders and salt. Stir for half a minute.
• Pour the pureed spinach mix into this and let the mixture boil.
• Cook till the sauce is thick enough. When ithe isn't runny or too thick.
• Now add the kasoori methi crushed in between your palms. And also the cream. After adding the cream, avoid anymore boiling.
• Check for seasonin. You may adjust the taste by adding a few drops of lemon juice and /or a few grains of sugar.
• Serve piping hot with any Indian bread or rice items.

CHARISHMA'S PALAK PANEER

Steps:

• Boil spinach in a pot of water. Drain the water.
• Soak the paneer in a bowl. Add water. Let it remain that way to de-frost for about 1 hour.
• Put the boiled spinach in a mixer and add a little water to prepare spinach puree.
• Heat oil in a pot.
• Add ginger and onion. Stir-fry until browned.
• Add all the spice powders.
• Fold in the tomato puree.
• Mix well and bring to a boil.
• Now, lower heat and add the spinach puree. Allow it to cook for a few minutes.
• Drain the paneer; remove all the water.
• Cut the paneer into cubes.
• Shallow fry the cubes of paneer in oil until lightly browned on either side. Add to the pot of spinach mixture.
• Mix lightly and serve hot with Indian flatbreads (rotis) or naan and/or pulao.