Spinach Paneer Curry Jamie Oliver Food

CREAMY PANEER & VEG CURRY

Steps:

• Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large roasting tray, then sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, the turmeric and cumin seeds. Finely grate over the lemon zest and squeeze in the juice.
• Peel and quarter one of the onions, then break into petals. Deseed and roughly tear the peppers into similar-sized chunks, then place it all into the roasting tray with the whole chillies.
• Break the cauliflower into florets and cut the paneer into 2.5cm cubes, then add to the tray and toss everything together. Thread the ingredients onto skewers (soaked, if wooden), alternating them as you go.
• Preheat the grill to full whack, then cook the skewers for 15 minutes, or until golden and gnarly, turning regularly.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon of groundnut oil into a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, pick in the curry leaves and fry until crispy, then remove to a plate, leaving the flavoured oil behind.
• Peel and roughly chop the remaining onion, as well as the garlic and ginger. Place in the pan with the garam masala, paprika and almonds and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Tip into a blender with the tinned tomatoes and blitz to a smooth sauce.
• Pour the sauce back into the pan, add the chickpeas, most of the coconut milk and the mango chutney, then season to perfection and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened.
• Meanwhile, make the salad. Trim the carrots, cucumber and cabbages as necessary, then coarsely grate on a box grater. Peel and finely grate the ginger, then place it all on a platter, squeeze over the lime juice and pick over the coriander leaves.
• To make the pancakes, combine the flour and 1 mug of water in a bowl with the mustard seeds. Grate in the creamed coconut and whisk well. Place a small non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, rub with a little groundnut oil, then pour in a thin layer of batter, swirling it up and around the edges. Cook on one side only for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden, then stack up on a serving plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
• Cut the paneer and veg from the skewers straight into the curry, simmer for a further 10 minutes, then drizzle over the remaining coconut milk and sprinkle with the crispy curry leaves. Toss the salad together, then bring everything to the table, and tuck in.

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 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 (SPINACH CURRY)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir spinach in hot oil until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer spinach to a blender or food processor; puree until spinach becomes a coarse paste.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook cumin in hot oil until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion, green chile peppers, and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cover saucepan. Simmer for 1 minute and add blended spinach paste, water, ground coriander, red chile powder, and salt. Continue to cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir paneer into spinach mixture and simmer until hot, 1 to 2 minutes more.