Saag Paneer Food

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• Melt the ghee, whisk in with the turmeric and chilli powder, then add the cubed paneer and toss well. Set aside. If using frozen spinach, microwave for 3-5 mins, then place in a sieve and squeeze out most of the water. If using fresh spinach, place in a colander, pour over boiling water, drain and cool, then put in a tea towel and squeeze out most of the water. Roughly chop.
• Blitz the onion with the garlic, ginger and green chilli. Cook the paneer in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat for around 8 mins, tossing the pan so they become golden all over. Remove and set aside on a plate, leaving spices behind in the pan. Tip the onion mix into the pan, add a pinch of salt and turn the heat down. Fry until caramel coloured, around 10 mins, adding a splash of water if it looks a little dry. Add the garam masala, stir to coat the onion mix, fry for 2 mins.
• Add the spinach and cook for a further 2-3 mins, adding 100ml water to release all the flavours from the bottom of the pan. Add the paneer and cook for 2-3 mins to heat through. Spoon into bowls and squeeze over a little lemon juice, to serve.

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• In a food processor, working in batches, pulse spinach until minced but not puréed. Do not pack the spinach too tightly or it won't get evenly chopped. You should have about 3 packed cups of minced spinach.
• Heat 1 tablespoon ghee over medium in a large nonstick skillet. When it shimmers, add paneer and cook, turning occasionally, until golden all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs or a fish spatula, transfer cheese to a plate, leaving as much ghee as possible in the skillet.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, add the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee and the onion, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add ginger, garlic and chile, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and well incorporated, 1 minute. Stir in coriander and cumin until well blended.
• Add minced spinach and 1/2 cup water, and increase the heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is completely soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in heavy cream and paneer until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.
• Divide rice and flatbread among 4 shallow bowls or plates. Pass the saag paneer to spoon on top.

AUTHENTIC SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook spinach and fenugreek in the boiling water until wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Puree until finely chopped, about 5 pulses.
• Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry paneer cubes, stirring constantly, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in the skillet and fry the cumin seeds until lightly toasted and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add onion; cook and stir until onion begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic, tomato, garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne pepper; cook and stir until tomatoes break down and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in spinach and fenugreek, cream, paneer cubes, and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup water to boil in a pot big enough to hold the spinach. Add the spinach, chopped pepper, and fenugreek. Cover the pan and cook gently for 25 minutes.
• In a separate pan, heat the oil, add the onions, and fry until they start to brown. Add the ginger and tomatoes, and cook at low heat for 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens a bit. Remove from heat or time this to be done once the spinach is pureed (below).
• When the spinach is done, make it into a coarse puree (people disagree on how pureed it should be, use your own taste). I recommend a stick blender right in the pot you cook it in, or a masher can work as well. The amount of liquid present determines the consistency of your saag. Add the cornmeal, and cook the spinach gently for another 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato mixture to he spinach. Then add the salt, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and cook gently for another 3-5 minutes. Add the paneer, and cook for another 5 minutes, covered.
• Serve with rice.

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• With a fork, make a few holes in each paneer cube and then mix well with the marinade ingredients. You can fry these immediately but the paneer does benefit from a longer marinating time.
• Fry the paneer in about 3 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan set over a medium-high heat until nicely browned. Set aside while you cook the spinach.
• If using frozen spinach, there is no need to cook it. Pour 285ml (generous 1 cup) of water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the fresh spinach and simmer until the water has evaporated. Allow the spinach to cool, then blitz to a thick paste in a food processor. Set aside.
• Now heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When visibly hot, add the cumin seeds and stir them around in the oil for about 30 seconds, then add the chilli powder and turmeric.
• Stir in the garlic and fry until it turns a light golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will turn bitter.
• Add the blended spinach to the pan and stir in the yoghurt, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in the fried paneer and heat through.
• Season with salt and serve immediately. I like to stir in about 3 tablespoons of single (light) cream to finish the dish off. This is optional but very nice.

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.

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• Thoroughly wash the spinach under cold running water to remove any dirt. Roughly chop, including the stems, then transfer to a large saucepan. Pour over just enough cold water to cover the spinach. Bring to the boil over a high heat, cover with a lid and reduce the heat. Simmer for around 20-25 minutes, checking from time to time (or reduce cooking time and water as per the tip below). Remove the lid for the last 5-10 minutes and cook until the water has evaporated.
• Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and, once hot, add a generous glug of vegetable oil. Add the paneer cubes and shallow fry for a few minutes, turning frequently until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl or plate lined with kitchen paper. Set aside.
• Wipe the pan clean and heat the butter. Once melted, add the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for around 5-10 minutes, or until softened and starting to brown. Add the salt, cumin seeds, garam masala and turmeric and cook, stirring all the time, for a few minutes. Add the paneer and stir to coat in the onion and spice mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Once all the water has evaporated from the spinach, add the cornmeal to the pan and using a masher, blend the spinach together and mash until smooth but with some texture. It should be a thick consistency. Alternatively use an electric hand blender to combine, and blend with a knob of butter (optional). Once blended, tip in the warm onion, spice and paneer mixture and mix together. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

CHANA SAAG

Steps:

• Cook the rice as the label directs. Set aside off the heat, about 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
• Finely chop the ginger, garlic and chile in a mini food processor; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; cook until sizzling, 30 seconds. Add the onion; cook, stirring, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the pot is dry, 3 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon garam masala.
• Stir the chickpeas and chopped chile mixture into the pot. Add the spinach in batches, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquid if the pot is getting too dark. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir in 1/4 cup chickpea liquid. Partially cover and cook, stirring, until the spinach is soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream; remove from the heat.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala. Cook until the seeds pop, a few seconds. Stir into the spinach; season with salt and pepper. Serve the chana saag with the rice, naan, yogurt and/or lemon wedges.