The recipe Saag Paneer: Spinach with Indian Cheese is ready in approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes and is definitely an outstanding gluten free and vegetarian option for lovers of Indian food. This main course has 521 calories, 23g of protein, and 29g of fat per serving. This recipe covers 42% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This recipe serves 4. Several people made this recipe, and 204 would say it hit the spot. A mixture of cardamom pods, onion, ground cumin, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so tasty. To use up the ground cumin you could follow this main course with the Moroccan Chocolate Mousse as a dessert.
Instructions
1
Watch how to make this recipe.
2
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.
Ingredients you will need
Turmeric
Ground Cayenne Pepper
Paneer
Salt
Cooking Oil
Equipment you will use
Whisk
Bowl
3
Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
4
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.
Ingredients you will need
Spinach
Equipment you will use
Food Processor
Microwave
Knife
5
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.
Ingredients you will need
Paneer
Equipment you will use
Frying Pan
6
Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan.
Ingredients you will need
Cooking Oil
Equipment you will use
Frying Pan
7
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.
Ingredients you will need
Garlic
Ginger
Onion
Toffee
Chili Pepper
Water
8
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.
Ingredients you will need
Garam Masala
Coriander
Spices
Cumin
Water
9
Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach.
Ingredients you will need
Spinach
Onion
10
Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.
Ingredients you will need
Water
Salt
11
Turn the heat off.
12
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.
Ingredients you will need
Spinach
Paneer
Yogurt
13
Serve.
14
Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink.
Equipment you will use
Cheesecloth
Colander
15
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!
Ingredients you will need
Milk
Equipment you will use
Pot
16
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!
Ingredients you will need
Lemon Juice
Milk
17
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!
Ingredients you will need
Ricotta Cheese
Honey
Lemon
Water
Nuts
Equipment you will use
Cheesecloth
Colander
Pot
18
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.
Ingredients you will need
Cheese
Equipment you will use
Cheesecloth
19
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.
Ingredients you will need
Cheese
Beans
Equipment you will use
Cheesecloth
Pot
20
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.
Asian on the menu? Try pairing with Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. The best wine for Asian food depends on the cuisine and dish - of course - but these acidic whites pair with a number of traditional meals, spicy or not. The Quintan Essentia Chenin Blanc with a 4.5 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 35 dollars per bottle.