Palak Paneer
Palak Paneer
It’s April 1st, 2020; and every day this month is 4/20. To kick it off, I prepared my favorite Indian dish, and the first one I learned to cook, palak paneer. Palak paneer is a spinach curry gravy with chunks of paneer cheese. You may have seen this dish at an Indian buffet. It is usually overcooked and greenish brown in color. There is no comparison to the homemade version. It takes a little time, but us well worth the results. You can also prepare this dish with chicken or lamb. Below is also a recipe for homemade paneer cheese.
Equipment
- Food processor or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2 bunches spinach washed
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 green bird’s eye chili finely chopped
- 1 small tomato finely chopped
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 12 oz paneer cheese cubed
Instructions
- Purée the spinach with a 1/4 cup of water in a food processor or immersion blender. Heat up the purée in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté for 10-12 minutes until it is thickened and the water has cooked out. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Fry the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and cardamom pods for 30 seconds.
- Add in the onions and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add in the ginger garlic paste and green chilies. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the tomato. Cook for 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in the coriander powder.
- Pour in the spinach purée in the pan. Season with salt and garam masala. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in the paneer. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Paneer
Paneer is used in a lot of vegetarian Indian cuisine as a substitute for meat. Paneer is made by adding acidity such as lemon juice or vinegar to boiled milk. The acidity curdles the milk, separating the milk fats frome the whey. They the remaining liquid is squeezed out of the cheese, resulting in a firm cheese that is slightly crumbly. The paneer doesn't melt, holding its shape when being cooked. It almost looks like tofu. Making paneer is quite simple and cost effective, rather than buying store bought brands. Something to keep in mind; 1/2 gallon of whole milk will yield about 8 oz of paneer in the end.
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon whole milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Over medium heat in a large stock pot, bring the whole milk almost up to a boil. This will take about a half an hour. Make sure to constantly stir the milk so it doesn't burn in the botom of the pot.
- While the milk is cooking, line a collander in a large bowl with cheese cloth.
- At the 30 minute mark, stir in the lemon juice. You will notice in 30-60 seconds the milk curdling. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the milk into the collander. Let it cool.
- Once the milk has cooled, start squeezing out any liquid.
- Place another bowl filled with water on top of the twisted cheese cloth. This will weigh down the cheese and force out more moisture. Let this sit for an hour.
- Take the cheese out of the cheese cloth. At this point, the paneer is firm, but still has some moisture left in it. It will kind of feel like a firmer cream cheese.
- Place the paneer in a bowl or container uncovered in the refrigerator over night. This will help dry out the cheese even more.
- Your paneer will be ready the next day for use.
You must be logged in to post a comment.