Palak Paneer
An irresistible combination of spinach and paneer, a fresh cheese used widely in South Asia.
Literally translating to ‘Spinach Cheese’, do not be fooled by its simple name. It packs a mighty flavour punch and has the best colour combination in the world: green and white, the colours of the Pakistan flag!
Whenever I cook spinach I feel very nostalgic, mainly because it brings back so many memories of coming home from school to the heady, pungent smell of spinach boiling in a pot. Fresh baby spinach leaves readily available in UK supermarkets require no pre-boiling and the even more convenient frozen spinach means there are no pungent smells to deal with, so I can afford to indulge the nostalgia and enjoy the delicious taste of what is now one of my favourite vegetables.
Feel free to experiment with different additions to the spinach. Chickpeas, red kidney beans, black eyed peas, potatoes, turnips, mooli (white radish) all work well. Aloo Palak, ‘Potato Spinach’, goes down very well in my house.
One point of note: always use fresh green chillies with spinach. The green chilli adds a special flavour and aroma to the spinach which makes the dish what it is. If you are worried about the spice level of the dish, cut the green chilli in half and discard all the white pith and seeds, so you get all the flavour but without the heat. Trust me on this one, it just won’t taste the same without it!
Warm up a very lightly greased frying pan on a medium to low flame, and sear the pieces of paneer on both sides to give them a very light golden brown colour and firm up the texture a little bit. Set aside.
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium flame. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes until softened.
5 Minutes
Add the Hara Spice Blend and fry for an additional 30 seconds, stirring to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn.
If using potatoes or other vegetables add at this stage and allow to simmer, covered, for 10 mins or until half done.
10 Minutes
Add the spinach and tomatoes, turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer over a low heat for 10 mins if fresh or 20 mins if using frozen.
10 Minutes 20 Minutes
Uncover, turn the heat up a bit and fry off the spinach to get rid of excess moisture and mix the onion and spices well with the spinach. This should take about 5 minutes.
5 Minutes
Add the pieces of paneer (or any beans if using) and let simmer, covered, for a further 10 mins on very low heat.
10 Minutes
Add the fresh herbs, cover and let infuse off the heat for 5 minutes.
5 Minutes
Ingredients
Directions
Warm up a very lightly greased frying pan on a medium to low flame, and sear the pieces of paneer on both sides to give them a very light golden brown colour and firm up the texture a little bit. Set aside.
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium flame. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes until softened.
5 Minutes
Add the Hara Spice Blend and fry for an additional 30 seconds, stirring to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn.
If using potatoes or other vegetables add at this stage and allow to simmer, covered, for 10 mins or until half done.
10 Minutes
Add the spinach and tomatoes, turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer over a low heat for 10 mins if fresh or 20 mins if using frozen.
10 Minutes 20 Minutes
Uncover, turn the heat up a bit and fry off the spinach to get rid of excess moisture and mix the onion and spices well with the spinach. This should take about 5 minutes.
5 Minutes
Add the pieces of paneer (or any beans if using) and let simmer, covered, for a further 10 mins on very low heat.
10 Minutes
Add the fresh herbs, cover and let infuse off the heat for 5 minutes.
5 Minutes