Monday 15 September 2014

PALAK PANEER



Paneer remains the most common type of cheese used in traditional South Asian cuisines. It's use is more common in Nepal, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

It's versatility may be the reason why I am so much in love with it. There are so many dishes we can prepare  with it..... in curries, pakoras, kheer, sandesh, vegetarian kebabs and so on.
To prepare paneer, food acid ( lemon juice or vinegar or citric acid ) is added to the hot milk to separate the curd from the whey. The curd is then drained in clean white cloth and the excess water is pressed out. The resulting paneer is dipped in chilled water for 2-3 hours to give it a good texture and appearance.

Me and my son being hardcore paneer lovers, it is a must have almost every week. The husband does not love it but has it with roti / parathas! Why not will I prepare it? With so many recipes being done with it which are both healthy and tasty, I have to. This  self proclaimed cook who is but quite lazy, uses store bought paneer for most of her dishes. Hi folks, instead of scolding me, please consider my time management skills.

Jokes apart, I believe, on Mondays we should go easy on our stomach , give some honour to the variety of vegetables available and what could be a better alternative  for fish and meat other than Paneer..... I meant for us "desis".

I decided to share with you the recipe of Palak Paneer today, a popular North Indian cuisine.



INGREDIENTS :


Paneer : 200 gm
Spinach ( Palak ) : 250 gm
Onion : 2 medium
Garlic paste : 1 tsp
Ginger paste : 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder ( Punjabi ) : 1/4 th tsp
Green Chillies : 2
Cumin Seeds: 2 pinches.
Bay Leaf : 1
Oil : 2 table spoon
Salt : As per requirement
Garnish with fresh cream.... I did not!

PROCEDURE : 

Roughly chop the spinach discarding the roots. Blanch them. In your blender, put the spinach and green chillies together and get a smooth paste. Slice the onions, wash and keep aside.

Cut paneer into cubes and marinate with salt. Heat oil in the wok and lightly fry and soak them in warm water for 1/2 an hour. Discard the water.

Heat oil in a wok. Add a bay leaf, then the cumin seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell goes. Now add the sliced onions. Fry till golden brown.

At this stage, pour in the spinach paste. Saute well at low heat because we need to retain the green color of the spinach. Sauté till the water that comes out of the spinach dries up gradually but not fully.

Add salt as required and the garam masala powder. Mix well. Add the paneer pieces. Stir very carefully for another one minute. See that the paneer pieces do not break. Switch off. It is done.

If you wish, you can add 1 table spoon of fresh cream to it. It will enhance the taste of the dish.

Serve hot with jeera rice , naan, paratha or chapati. I served it with curry leaf & dal tempered rice topped with toasted coconut and paratha!





4 comments :

  1. Very much Loved your paneer recipe. This recipe not only sounds great, but I'm very sure that it will deliver absolutely awesomely delicious palak paneer.

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  2. i really envy here. Havent tried a recipe with palak as I never get palak in my place.
    Healthy version and a must try in my to do list

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