Palak Paneer

I did it! I finally, FINALLY did it. I figured out how to make an amazingly flavorful Indian dish without just piling on the spices, ruining the texture. The key, you absolutely must get real Indian spices. Go get the red chili powder, corriander, caramom pods, cumin seeds, and garam masala that they sell at your local Indian grocery store, if you can. But find the real thing. They make all the difference in the world.

Here are some of the most recent spices I picked up:

Now, I’m going to admit that this entire recipe was dictated to me step by step by my coworker, who happens to be from India. I’m now planning to move in with her to be her sous chef, she just doesn’t know it yet.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

EVOO
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, made into a paste
2 tsp ginger paste or roughly chopped fresh ginger, made into a paste
2 whole tomato, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground corriander
2 tsp garam masala (divided)
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp hot chili powder
3/4 cup water
1 bunch spinach
Salt, pepper to taste
Paneer
Rice or nan

Directions:

Boil water and blanche the spinach, drain.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and heat until they start to pop.

Add onions and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic and ginger, cook until golden brown. Add tomatoes and spices, cook until the tomatoes are mostly dried out. Add water and allow the water to cook off. Add blanched spinach.

Place all contents into a blender or use immersion blender to break down the spinach and sauce. Add back to the pan along with oil and second half of garam masala. Taste and adjust spices as necessary.

Cut paneer into small pieces and add, serve immediately with warm nann or rice.