One of my favourite dishes to order at Indian restaurants is saag paneer, or saag aloo. Saag means spinach, paneer is a type of firm cheese, and aloo is potato. Any combination of those is great for me! In addition, the spices and fresh chilies add a lot of flavour to this dish. This recipe for saag paneer is a combination of many that I have tried over the years. I tend to use a lot less ghee or oil than recommended, which is probably why it does not taste as nice as restaurant versions. However, it is a lot healthier and still flavourful!
Ingredients
450-500 g paneer cut into cubes
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 large onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
Thumb sized piece of ginger, minced
1 green chili, seeds remove and chopped
2 Tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
900g frozen spinach, defrost and squeeze out excess water
1 tsp Garam masala
pinch of salt
Instructions
First, toss paneer cubes in corn starch to coat the pieces.
Next, use a small food processor to combine onions, garlic, ginger and green chili, or if you do not have one then just mince ingredients finely and mix together.
If you like the spinach pureed, then you can puree it in a food processor.
Melt ghee or heat vegetable oil over medium heat in a frying pan, and whisk in turmeric and chili powder. Cook the paneer in the frying pan for about 5 minutes. Then add cumin and mustard seeds. Cook for one minute. Add onion mixture and cook for about 2 minutes until onions are soft, mixing occasionally. Add garam masala and salt. Mix gently and cook 1 minute longer. Then add spinach, mix and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Finally, add a small amount of water if it is too dry.
Serve hot with naan or rice
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