Indian Creamed Spinach Palak Not Paneer Food

SPICED CREAMY SPINACH (PALAK PANEER WITHOUT THE PANEER)

Steps:

• Follow the instructions on the packet of frozen spinach by heating it up in the microwave or cook down fresh spinach in a saucepan just by itself
• Strain spinach water from the cooked down spinach
• Over medium high heat, saute garlic, ginger, chilies and onions in ghee until aromatic
• Lower heat to medium and mix in cumin, coriander, garam masala and yogurt
• Add cooked spinach and simmer for 5 minutes
• Add tomato sauce and mix thoroughly
• Remove from heat and transfer to a blender
• Blend the spinach mixture into a puree
• Dish and serve hot

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes if you're using the homemade kind. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
• Thaw the spinach in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, 5 minutes on high, then puree in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, you can chop it up very finely with your knife.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan warms. In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. Now here's the important part: saute the mixture until it's evenly toffee-coloured, which should take about 15 minutes. Don't skip this step - this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
• Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven't already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells a bit more melodious, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.
• Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt, a little at a time to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer. Turn the heat back on, cover and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve.
• Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink.
• In a large wide pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom (a nonstick pot works really well for this purpose). This will take a little while so be patient!
• Add the lemon juice and turn the heat down to low. Stirring gently, you should almost immediately see the curds (white milk solids) and whey (the greenish liquid) separate. Don't fret, this is perfect!
• Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gently rinse with cool water to get rid of the lemon flavor. At this point, you could squeeze out some of the liquid, and serve with some honey and some nuts, almost like a fresh ricotta!
• Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out the excess whey. Tie the cheesecloth to your kitchen faucet and allow the cheese to drain for about 5 minutes.
• Twisting the ball to compact the cheese into a block, place it on a plate with the twisted part of the cheesecloth on the side (this will ensure your block of cheese is nice and smooth!) and set another plate on top. Weigh the second plate down with cans of beans or a heavy pot. Move to the refrigerator and let it sit about 20 minutes.
• Combine the cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom seeds, black cardamom seeds, if using into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind until fine. Store the spice mix in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.

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.

I LOVE PALAK PANEER (SPINACH AND CHEESE CURRY)

Steps:

• Heat oil in large frying pan; cook spices, onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens.
• Add lemon juice and spinach: cook, stirring, until wilted.
• Blend or process spinach mixture until smooth, return to pan, stir in cream.
• Add in paneer, cook over low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until heated through.
• Serve on steamed rice.

INDIAN CREAMED SPINACH - PALAK NOT PANEER

Steps:

• Boil about a quart of water and add salt liberally. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the spinach and reduce heat to medium . Cook for 8 minutes, then drain and set aside. Chop when cooled.
• In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon butter or ghee. Sautee shallots and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the spinach and cook for two minutes or until the juices release. Then add the spices and the rest of the butter and stir, allowing about 30 seconds to a minute for them to begin releasing their flavor into the mixture. Add the cream and raise the heat, continuing to stir. Reduce the liquid to half so the mixture has a creamy rather than soupy consistency.
• Allow to cool, pour into bowls and sprinkle with the cheese. Then enjoy. Or just throw it in the trash or see if your dog will eat it.