Jaffreys Homemade Indian Cheese With Spinach Food

JAFFREY'S HOMEMADE INDIAN CHEESE WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• PANEER:
• Put the milk in a large, heavy pan and set over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, place a colander in the sink and line it with a clean dish towl or 3-4 layers of cheesecloth at least 24 inches square.
• When the milk begins to boil, turn the heat down to low. Quickly add 3 tablespoons of the vinegar and stir. The mixture will curdle at this point, the thin, greenish whey completely separating from the white fluffy curds. If this does NOT happen, add the remaining tablespoon of vinegar and repeat the process.
• Empty the mixture into the lined colander. Most of the whey will drain out.
• To make small patty: allow most of the whey to drain out of the colander. As soon as the curds have drained, gather up the ends of the cheesecloth and twist to squeeze out as much water as possible. You will now have a round bundle and a well-twisted section of cloth just above it, which you can tie firmly with string or just leave tightly twisted.
• Lay the cloth and its contents on a flat board set in the sink. Flatten the bundle into a pastry shape, making sure that the twisted section or knot holds the cheese in place. This section can be folded over to one side. Put another board on top of the patty. Now put a 5-pound weight on the patty and press for 3-4 minutes. The cheese is now ready. It may be unwrapped, covered with a clean, damp cloth, and kept in the refrigerator for 24 hour but is best if used immediately.
• Cut Paneer into 1 x 3/4-inch cubes. Set aside until last step in recipe.
• SAAG:
• Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a large pan. Put in the washed spinach, dried or fresh fenugreek leaves, if using, and green chile. Cover the pan and cook gently for 25 minutes.
• Now mash the spinach with a wooden masher or potato masher until you have a coarse puree. (You can blend the spinach in a blender but that texture is too fine for Jaffrey's taste.) Blend in the cornmeal and cook gently for another 5 minutes, stirring now and then.
• In a separate frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and stir and fry until it begins to brown.
• Add the ginger and stir once or twice, then add the tomatoes and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the texture thickens and the color of the tomatoes intensifies.
• Stir the tomato mixture into the spinach mixture, then add the salt, roasted cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon and stir to mix.
• Cook gently for 5 minutes.
• Finally, add the cubed paneer, stir gently, and cook, covered, on low heat for 5 minutes. 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.

MADHUR'S SPINACH WITH GINGER, FENNEL, AND BLACK CUMIN

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. When hot, add fennel and black cumin seeds. Stir, and add onions and ginger. Stir-fry until onions turn a rich brown color, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add spinach. Cover pan, and cook until spinach has wilted completely, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. When spinach has wilted, reduce the heat to medium. Add chile, salt, and cayenne pepper, and stir. Cover pan, and cook for 25 minutes more.
• Uncover skillet, and stir. Cook until there is hardly any liquid left in the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes more. Serve.

SAAG PANEER (PANIR) - INDIAN SPINACH AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Fry the onions, garlic, ginger and spices in oil for around 5 minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, making sure the heat is down to a simmer.
• Add the spinach and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the paneer and yogurt and simmer for around 5 minutes.