SAAG PANEER

Course: Sauce based Veg – Mains

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Total time; 45 minutes

Serves: 4 to 6 

Ingredients:

• 450 g paneer, cut into 3cm cubes and soaked in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes in advance
• 750 g frozen of fresh spinach
• 1 tbsp of besan (gram flour)
• 2 to 3 tablespoon of water

Masala/Tadka:

• 2 tbsp of ghee or any oil as per your choice
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp of blck mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, 4 cloves of garlic and 1½ inch ginger, chopped in a food processor or cut into tiny pieces
• 1 green chili, chopped or cut into small pieces (optional)
• 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp rock salt. More can be added after tasting,
• ½ an inch of unwaxed lemon rind, nicely grated
•  2 tsp tomato puree
• ½  a can of chopped tomatoes, app 250 g or 3 medium size tomatoes chopped in food processor
• 1 tsp of garam masala (optional)

Directions to cook:

1. Take a medium heavy based pan and keep on medium heat. Add spinach.
2. Mix besan and water and make it a thin paste and add to the spinach. Once it reaches the boiling stage, reduce the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the base. By this time, no water should be visible.
3. Take another pan and keep on medium heat and add ghee or oil of your choice.  When the ghee gets a little hot, add cumin and mustard seeds. As soon as it starts bubbling, add the mixture of onion, ginger and garlic and cook these for 5 to 6 minutes stirring often. Once the color changes to light pink, add turmeric and salt. Then add chopped tomato, tomato puree, chili, lemon pieces and mix these nicely. At this point reduce the heat to low and cover the pan so that the tomatoes are combined properly and it turns into a smooth paste. This paste should be stirred occasionally so that it does not get burned.
4. The consistency of the paste should be like yogurt. Take out paneer pieces from the water and add to the tadka and keep on stirring occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add spinach to this mixture and combine these thoroughly. Heat should be kept to low and the pan should be covered and it should be left on fire for another 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add garam masala and cover it for a couple of minutes so that flavor is retained.

Special Notes:

• Serve with  plain rice, jeera rice or chapatis and enjoy.
• Oil can be used to make the recipe vegan.