I've been asked for the saag paneer recipe I use to keep the husband in my wicked thrall. There are many different recipes out there. This is just accidentally the one I tried first and Brian liked it so well, I've hardly tried another.
Some ingredients* will require a little trip to an Indian store. There are two good ones I've used in Tulsa: New India Bazaar and Laxmi Spices of India.This recipe serves six hungry people easily. Serve it over rice.
For those who eat "non-veg," this is a good side dish to a meat dish. For vegetarians, I'd recommend serving this with a dahl or other legume dish.
Ingredients:
- one 16-ounce bag of frozen spinach
- about one cup cubed paneer* (Indian cheese) (extra-firm tofu can be used instead of paneer)
- 2 cups unsweetened yogurt (go for the full-fat version)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons fenugreek leaves*
- 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
- 1/2 teaspoon black cumin seeds*
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- chili powder (a milder version = 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon; hotter version = 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons)
- piece of fresh ginger
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 - 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
Utensils:
- one small frying pan
- one medium-size pan/pot
- metal spatula
- large spoon
- sharp knife
- food processor or chopper (or use a shredder for the ginger & garlic, and omit step 8 below)
1. Steaming Spinach & Fenugreek Leaves
Put the Frozen spinach in the medium-size on medium heat, put the fenugreek leaves on top, and cover. This will be defrosting and steaming while you prepare the spices.
Just as you would peel the paper-like skin off the garlic clove, you need to remove the skin from the piece of ginger. Just peel it like a little potato, then drop it in your food processor or chopper with the garlic. Grind it up as finely as you can. Set next to the stove.
3. Measuring Spices
Measure out the spices in a cup or bowl. Set next to the stove.
4. Frying Spices
In the small frying pan, heat the oil on a medium-high setting. Drop in the spices and ginger & garlic you've set aside. There should be a gentle sizzling and bubbling. It will start to smell amazing.
This frying of spices is one of the first steps in many, many Indian recipes. I found it a little daunting at first, so I'm including a video here to show what it looks like when it's being done right. It's an active frying for a couple of minutes on medium-high heat, so keep it moving to prevent the spices from sticking to the bottom and burning.
[video will be posted here when Blogger cooperates]
After the spices have fried for a couple of minutes, add the warm water and stir. When the water starts to boil, add the sugar and salt. Stir until all are combined.
6. Combining Spice Mixture and Spinach
7. Adding Yogurt
Pour the yogurt into the other ingredients and stir well. At this point, the cooking is done really. It can sit warming on a stove or in an oven for hours and only needs stirring now and then.
If you have a decent food processor, the crowning step is grinding this mixture until the texture is smooth. (However, unless Sharukh Kahn is coming to dinner or something, it will taste the same if you omit this step.)
9. Paneer
Cut the paneer into cubes and drop it into the spinach mixture. Paneer doesn't melt, so feel free to keep this warming on the stove / in the oven / on a hot-plate for as long as you want. It keeps in the refrigerate for days and can be frozen if you wish.
Serve this with a big bowl of rice. Everyone just scoops some rice, then tops it with the saag paneer.
