Palak Paneer: Vegetarian Delight !

In my advent of adding Spinach to every bit and course, I had forgotten to cook my very favorite dish, Palak Paneer for a long time. It used to be my life line whenever we went out for dinner with my non-veg crazy friends... I usually dont like Paneer dishes in every restaurant, some people mix funny ingredients with it. To  make it rich they add a lot of cornflour or arrowroot, or even Tomato Ketchup..  and that really spoils the taste of this evergreen luxury dish. I seriously like to keep it simple sometimes, just tomato and paneer with minimum spices.. Love that flavour. Anyways, on most of these occasions, I ordered Palak Paneer as an escape from enormous tasteless options and most of the times, I found it good enough to cherish.

At home too, its a very healthy dish and best for people who dont like spinach but adores Paneer. Provides a whole lot of nutrients with a  rich taste.I have never learnt the recipe from anywhere but from trial and errors.. Not to brag but I love the way I cook this, have always been tempted to prepare it often. Its my favorite way to add nutrition to taste or rather taste to nutrition  :)

I add a pinch of cinnamon and  Sugar which provides that extra sweetness that neutralizes the so called bitterness of  Spinach. With the cornflour mixed with milk, it gives an extra richness and creamy texture to the curry which goes very well with the paneer.

Ingredients:
1. 3 cups chopped Spinach
2. 1 cup paneer, cubed
3. 2 large tomatoes, chopped
4. 1 large onion, chopped
5. 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
6. 1 tsp ginger, minced
7. 1 tsp ghee
8. 2-3 green chilies, chopped
9. 2-3 red dried chilies
10. 1 tsp Cumin seeds, turmeric, Coriander powder each
11.  A pinch of asafoetida, cinnamon
12. 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
13. Salt to taste
14. 1 tbsp Corn flour
15. 1 cup milk
16. Thinly sliced ginger pieces to garnish
17. a pinch of sugar

Method:
Heat a non stick pan and dry roast the onions till brown. Sprinkle some water if it gets sticky. Add spinach, chopped green chilies, salt, turmeric, coriander powder and half of the chopped tomatoes and cook covered for 4-5 min till it gets wilted and mashed up.
Now, blend this mixture in a blender coarsely in a blender. Remember not to blend it for a long time, else it will get all mashed up. We just need a coarse mixture.
Heat ghee in the pan and splutter cumin seeds. Add cinnamon, kasuri methi and asafoetida and fry for just 15-20 sec.
Add garlic, ginger, rest of the tomatoes and red dried chilies. Combine the blended spinach and paneer cubes and simmer for 5-7 min.
In a bowl of milk add cornflour and a pinch of sugar. Gradually add in this mixture to the cooked spinach and stir well. Cook for another 10-12 min stirring frequently in between. Turn off when the milk blends completely with the Spinach.
Garnish with sliced ginger and some grated paneer, serve hot with Chapathi or Rice.

Off to Radhika's Winter Carnival 

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