Palak Paneer

To be honest, we cheated a little with this dish. Most of it was already prepared by Bhumi prior to our arrival at her place, and the only thing left to do was to dice up and sautee the paneer. I was surprised that the cheese could be sauteed like that without it melting, but it turned out great. Bhumi says that this dish usually requires the cheese to be deep fried, but sauteeing it works just fine without adding a heapload more grease to the dish. I approve! Anyway, try out Bhumi's recipe, and let me know how it goes. :)

Ingredients:

1 Onion (finely chopped)

1 Tomato (finely chopped)

1 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

½ Tsp Chilli Powder

½ Tsp Green Chili Paste or 1 fresh Green Chili

1 Tsp Cumin Powder

1 Tsp Coriander Powder

1 Tsp Fenugreek Powder

Turmeric a pinch

Salt to taste

Paneer as desired

Fresh Spinach – 1 bunch

Whipping Cream (optional) – I didn’t add this but most restaurants do

Whole Garam Masala (Cloves, Cardamom, Cinnamon) or Garam Masala Powder

1 or 2 Garlic cloves minced (optional)

Instructions:

1. Clean and wash spinach and immerse in boiling water for 2 min, puree it in a blender and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a deep pan, add garam masala. Now add onions and fry till golden brown, add turmeric and ginger garlic paste, cook for a minute. Add all spices and red chili powder, cook for a minute or two.
3. Now add the spinach (palak) and cook until the gravy oozes with little bubbles.
4. Cut Paneer into 2-3 cm cubes, sauté it in shallow oil (it can also be deep fried if desired but it’s not necessary). Add Paneer pieces to the gravy and simmer in for few minutes.
5. Add some heavy cream to the spinach gravy and mix well (optional).
6. Serve with Roti or Naan