Shortcut Palak Paneer Food

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.

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

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.

EASY PALAK PANEER

Steps:

• chop up spinach. chop it up well and toss it in a big pot with a little water to shrink it.cook it on med high for about 3 minutes
• while the spinach is shrinking, cut up your onion and put it in a bowl.
• dump your spinach into a collander in the sink after it shrinks down and let it be.
• steam two tomatoes on high until the skin cracks (blanched) should take about 5-7 minutes
• while the tomatoes are blanching, seed and chop up your chile and chop up your ginger. cut em up really small. this is a cheat for mincing!
• put the ginger and chiles chopped up into a bowl together and set it near the spinach.
• pour paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander and garam masala into a bowl together and have it handy.
• Tomatoes should be blanched by now so peel off the skin and chop them into about four pieces each.
• Get a big pan and heat some (apx 2 tbs) oil on high. when it's hot add your onion and cook for about two minutes.
• dump in you ginger/ chile mix and stir up. Savor that aroma and turn heat down to medium immediately.
• add your spices and stir it up. keep stirring until your onions are evenly coated with spices.Stir it around for about two or three minutes.
• Add your spinach to the pot and stir it all together.
• add your tomatoes. stir it up.
• I know it doesn't look like much right now, but it will be great, I promise!
• Give it about 5 minutes keeping it on med- med high.
• take this time to chop up your paneer cheese (which I get from whole foods) but can be made from scratch if need be. I cut my paneer into small cubes.
• Check on your pan -- add a little water if you need to and turn heat down to med low.
• give your mixture a good stir and add paneer cheese.
• let it simmer on med low for about 10-15 mins -- make sure your mixture doesn't stick by adding a little more water if you need to. Sometimes I need to, sometimes I don't- go figure!
• add your cream/ milk and let it simmer for 10 more mins on low.
• ENJOY! serve with rice or naan.