Paneer, cheese
(one store bought package = roughly 350g or 12oz)
1 medium
White onion
(finely chopped)
4 clove(s)
Garlic
(minced)
1 tbsp minced
Ginger root
(peeled)
1 pepper(s)
Serrano pepper
(finely chopped or a drop or two of your favourite hot sauce)
3 tbsp
Garam masala
1 tsp
Cumin
(ground)
2 tsp
Coriander, ground
1 1/2 package (10oz)
Frozen spinach
(10oz = 280g thawed)
1/2 cup
Plain yogurt, 2% M.F.
(stirred until smooth OR tofutti sour cream)
1 1/2 tbsp
Avocado oil
(for cooking onion mixture)
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1.5 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepared.
Thaw the spinach in the fridge overnight or in the microwave, 5 minutes on high. Purée in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, you can chop it up very finely with your knife, or leave it whole (some frozen packages you can buy are chopped already) depending on the desired texture, time you have or dishes you'd like to clean.
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan warms. In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate. OR place on a baking dish and bake in a 400F oven for 15 minutes, flip and cook another 10-15 minutes until lightly browned on two sides. The baking dish option is great to do if you are low on time - can put it in the oven while you do the next step. Extra dish, but takes less time!
Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and serrano pepper (or drop or two of hot sauce if you don't have a hot pepper and still want the spice). Now here's the important part: saute the mixture until it's evenly toffee-coloured, which should take about 15 minutes. Don't skip this step - this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water and/or turn it down.
Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven't already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the spinach - water and all, and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 -3/4 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.
Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt, a little at a time to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer. Turn the heat back on, cover and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve over rice or with naan bread.
