Paneer Pudina :: Paneer with mint and spinach :: Cottage cheese in Mint gravy

This “Paneer Pudina” is a very different sort of dish. No really, it is ! Not a “you must never have heard of it” sort of dish. But more like “you wouldn’t have prepared Paneer using this method “ sorts.. Or rather I should say that just about myself- I had never heard of this recipe before. I have had my share of experiments conducted with Mint and Paneer, but they were only limited for the Summer BBQs. And the reason, that I never liked Mint also contributed to  the fact that I never used it in any of my curries. I wrote down this recipe while watching “Turban Tadka” on the channel “Lamhe”, but I never thought I would actually prepare it. ( And yes, I still like watching cookery shows )  I only wrote it since Mr. Sokhi was so very enthusiastic about this one and prepared it with his usual zeal and charm. Am sure you know Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, but if not , you are missing some of the best Punjabi recipes. Do visit his website if you love Punjabi food, you will learn a lot of new recipes and kitchen tips. Trust me on this !

Anyway – so I noted it down about 2 months ago and it kept waiting to be used up for a long time until last weekend. S bought some fresh mint from the Grocery store thinking that’s a bunch of Fenugreek leaves ( Methi )… and was super excited to show me the bunch since I always complain about not getting fresh Methi in the neighbourhood and how he managed to get some without my help. Now  what do I do with such a  sweet but ignorant husband !! That’s another topic of discussion. But just to finish those leaves, I opened up my drafts and searched for any recipe that I might have noted down for mint. This one emerged with all its glory ( of having paneer in it ) and I had to use the other greens lying down in the fridge as well, so I decided to go for it, finally !

“To my surprise” ( a very clichéd term , I know ) it did come out pretty amazing and delicious. The use of cashews brought a natural creaminess to the dish  which complimented the greens very well. ( Note to self- try more recipes with cashews and greens combo ) And since this is a typical Punjabi dish, it uses some whole spices too,  which makes the whole dish very flavourful, without bring all the heaviness from Garam Masala, cream etc. In the original recipe, Mr. Sokhi did not use spinach but I had some lying in the fridge so I added it to the dish. This combination of all 3 Green leaves (mint, spinach and coriander ) tasted so perfect with Paneer.  Usually when we have Paneer dishes, we make them either with gravy or without gravy. This one is also different since this is a Semi-gravy dish, not so dry, not so runny. So it goes very well with Chapathis, roti or Paranthas.  

Coming to the topic of mint .. Well ! Honestly this little herb amazed me with its uplifting but not so dominant presence. I read a bit more about mint after having this, and got to know more about its benefits. I knew that it carries digestive properties and anti-oxidants. But the other health factors like beating stress and depression, boosting immunity and above everything else – helps in relieving stomach cramps. I was impressed with just the last bit… And have  pinned more than 20 recipes already on Pinterest so I could use it more and more while the season lasts.

Some of the Health benefits of Mint are :-

• Relieves indigestion
• Fights aches and pains
• Gives you glowing and acne free skin
• Helps relieve cough and asthma
• Helps fight oral infections
• Helps relieve the pain associated with menstrual cramps
• Boosts immunity
• Beats morning sickness in pregnant women
• Helps fight cancer
• Beats stress and depression

Try this recipe if you love Paneer OR Green vegetables. I adore both of them equally, so its always a win win for me to combine them in one dish. BTW, I have noted down quite a few recipes so you will be seeing some more forgotten Punjabi recipes very soon on this space.. 

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 40-50 minutes

Serves: 2-3 people

Cuisine:-  Punjabi

Course:-  Main / Curry

Spice Level:   medium

Recipe Level:  Moderate / intermediate

Shelf Life: 12-20 hours at room temperature, up to 2 days in the Fridge

Serving Suggestion: With Naan, Pita  bread, Chapathi, Paratha, Poori, Raita etc.

Nutritional Facts:- Rich in Iron and Vitamin A, Fibre, Calcium, anti-oxidants and other minerals.

What you need?

• 400-500 gms Paneer – chopped in cubes and soaked in warm water
• 1 bunch of mint leaves – 150 gms approx.
• 1 bunch of coriander – 100 gms approx.
• 1 cup spinach – 100 gms approx.
• ½ cup cashews
• 2 large onions, chopped small
• 1 inch piece of ginger – grated , sliced thin
• 2-3 Green Chilies
• 5-6 cloves of Garlic, minced or chopped small
• 2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp

Spices :

• 1 pod of  Black cardamom( Badi elaichi )
• 2-3 pods of green cardamom ( Hari Elaichi )
• 2 pods of cloves ( Laung )
• 1 small piece of Cinnamon ( Daal Chini )
• 1 tsp of Cumin seeds ( Jeera )
• 1 tsp of coriander seeds
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• Salt to taste 
• Some extra leaves of mint and coriander for garnish

How to make?

Preparation:

• Clean all the green leaves properly and drain well. Once all the water is drained off, chop them roughly and keep aside all together.
• Chop the paneer into equal sized cubes/ rectangles and keep them aside soaked in warm water

Method:

• In a Pan, heat the oil. Throw in cumin seeds and let them splutter. Once they turn light brown, add ginger, green chillies and garlic and fry them for half a minute or so.
• Now, turn the flame to low and add cashews with a pinch of salt to the pan. Sauté for next 10-15 seconds till they turn slight brown.
• Add all the chopped greens ( Mint, coriander and Spinach ) and let it cook covered for next 2-3 minutes till all the green leaves just wilt down.
• Add turmeric to this, mix and turn off the flame. Transfer to another mixing bowl and allow it to cool. Once it has cool down a bit, blend it to  a paste and keep aside.

• Now, in the same pan heat another tbsp. of Oil and throw in the whole spices ( big cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon and clove). Fry these for almost half a minute.
• Then add chopped onion and sauté it till it turns translucent, takes almost 4-5 minutes if the oil is hot enough.
• Once its done nicely, add Paneer cubes, water  and salt to taste and cook covered for next 2-3 minutes.
• Open up the lid, pour in the blended Greens paste and mix well. Cook this Curry for another 20-25 minutes now, till it reaches your desired thickness. Keep stirring in between, and check seasoning before turning off.

• Transfer in  a serving bowl, garnish with more mint and coriander leaves if desired and dollops of butter on top.. Enjoy with Fresh Naan or Saffron rice aside.

Notes:

• Soaking paneer cubes in warm water while you are doing other stuff will keep them soft and prevent them from drying and going all yellow. You may also soak them in warm milk instead of water.
• Since this is a semi dry curry, its best to be eaten with Chapathi or Naan rather than rice. But still if you want rice aside, try for mildly spiced dishes like Lemon rice, Garlic rice etc. If you go for Biryani or simple boiled rice it might not taste great.
• The original recipe didn’t call for spinach, I only added it since it was lying in the freidge but then loved the addition and decided to keep it in my recipe. You may omit it and add more mint/coriander if you wish

Some other Paneer recipes you may like: 

Paneer butter masala - no onion no garlic recipe 
Restaurant style Matar Paneer recipe 
Cashew Chili Paneer recipe 
Kadhayi Paneer - No onion no garlic recipe 
Paneer Tikka- without Oven or Tandoor 

For more Green vegetables recipes, click here