Our friend brought us a few pounds of Paneer a few days ago, and it immediately got us thinking of the possibilities! Most of our Indian entrees are less traditional, so we opted to take a stab at one that’s more mainstream…and our choice was Palak Paneer (given that we had a major glut of spinach, it was an easy choice). While this might not be the most classic preparation of the meal, it was delicious, and everyone enjoyed (with no leftovers)!
We served our Palak Paneer over rice, but given the spinachy abundance with this dish, you may want to take it a step further and serve this with Spinach and Garlic Naan…or try making our Baked Vegetable Samosas!
Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Fresh Spinach (We used about 18 ounces of baby spinach for 3 servings)
- A Handful of Raw Cashews (Soaked in warm water for an hour or two ahead of time)
- Cumin Seeds
- Cilantro
- A Chili Pepper or two depending on whether you want any heat
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Ghee
- Paneer
- A Large Tomato
- An Onion
- A Lot of Garam Masala
- A Little Ground Cinnamon
- A Pinch of Salt
Method:
- Prep your spinach component:
- Soak some raw cashews in warm or hot water ahead of time to get them ready.
- Heat a little ghee in a large pot, and add some cumin seeds, and garlic. Peel and grate your ginger and garlic into the pan with a microplane grater too, and allow all of the aromas to unleash.
- Add your spinach and cilantro to the pot, and stir to wilt. Then, add your cashews, and stir to combine and finish cooking.
- Remove your spinachy mixture, and put it in to a blender. Puree, and set aside.
- Dice your onion and tomato.
- Add a little more ghee into the pot you used to cook your spinach, and sprinkle in a healthy dose of Garam Masala, and add your onion and tomato. Stir to combine, and cook until your tomatoes break down into a bit of a paste-like texture.
- As your onions and tomatoes cook, cut your paneer into cubes, and air fry them for 8-10 minutes to brown them a bit.
- When your tomatoes have broken down, add your spinach puree to the pot along with a little cinnamon and salt. Stir to incorporate the two components into one another.
- Add your paneer to the pot, and fold the mixture to coat the cheese.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
