Saag Paneer Recipes

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• In a food processor, working in batches, pulse spinach until minced but not puréed. Do not pack the spinach too tightly or it won't get evenly chopped. You should have about 3 packed cups of minced spinach.
• Heat 1 tablespoon ghee over medium in a large nonstick skillet. When it shimmers, add paneer and cook, turning occasionally, until golden all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs or a fish spatula, transfer cheese to a plate, leaving as much ghee as possible in the skillet.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, add the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee and the onion, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add ginger, garlic and chile, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and well incorporated, 1 minute. Stir in coriander and cumin until well blended.
• Add minced spinach and 1/2 cup water, and increase the heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is completely soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in heavy cream and paneer until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.
• Divide rice and flatbread among 4 shallow bowls or plates. Pass the saag paneer to spoon on top.

AUTHENTIC SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook spinach and fenugreek in the boiling water until wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Puree until finely chopped, about 5 pulses.
• Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry paneer cubes, stirring constantly, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in the skillet and fry the cumin seeds until lightly toasted and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add onion; cook and stir until onion begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic, tomato, garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne pepper; cook and stir until tomatoes break down and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in spinach and fenugreek, cream, paneer cubes, and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss. 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, then transfer to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Puree in a food processor until smooth. (Alternatively, you can chop it up very finely with your knife.) Set aside.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the paneer as the pan warms. In a couple of minutes, flip the paneer; each piece should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so and then remove the paneer from the pan to a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the pan. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, chile and a pinch of salt. Now here?s the important part: Sauté the mixture until it?s evenly toffee-colored, 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 coriander, cumin and garam masala. If you haven?t already, sprinkle in a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cooks 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. Stir in a little salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Stir in 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 2 minutes.

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.

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:

• For the Paneer Pour milk, salt and ground cumin into the pot. Bring milk to a simmer. Keep it there for about 5 minutes. Remove simmered milk from the heat, and start to slowly stir in the lemon juice, about a tablespoonful at a time. The milk will begin to curdle. This is "curds and whey". If it doesn't curdle, add a tiny bit of vinegar. Keep stirring until curds are thick, and whey is only slightly cloudy. Put some ice into the pot to cool down the curds and whey to a manageable temperature. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth then strain off the whey, keeping the curds. Wrap them up, and squeeze the cloth to get the whey out. Open up the cloth and look at the curds. Taste, and if it needs a bit more salt, add some. Fold curds up in the cloth, in a square-ish block. Put the block on one cutting board, place the other cutting board on top, then balance the big pot full of cold water on top or use "c" clamps to keep them squeezed together. After you have pressed out the whey. Remove paneer from the cheesecloth and cut into large, bite-sized cubes. For the Saag Start a pot of boiling water to cook your spinach. Drop spinach into boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove spinach from water and transfer directly to a blender. Pour out as much liquid as you can before blending it to a puree. Preheat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and whole cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the garlic, ginger and onions and sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add the chilies and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Now add the ground spices and cook for 5 more minutes. Pour your blended spinach mixture into the sautéing mixture and stir until everything becomes homogenous. Cook this until the oil separates from the Saag. It should look like little droplet on top. Now add your homemade paneer cheese and cook until warmed through. Add heavy cream if desired. Season with salt. Serve with warm Naan bread!