Palak Paneer Curry ( Spinach and Cottage cheese)

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Makes ~4 to 6 people.

To make any red sauce there are two steps :

  • Making a base which is magic red sauce
  • Improvising it into specific sauce

INGREDIENTS:  For Magic Red sauce

  1. 15 Tbs oil
  2. Pinch of asafetida ( Hing)
  3. Solid garam masala optional ( Bay leaf, clove, cardamom, cinnemmon, Red chilly dry , As per you choice)
  4. 1 Tbs cumin seeds/ mustered seeds
  5. 4 large Tomato, 4 Large Onions chopped small pcs
  6. 2 tbs ginger garlic paste
  7. 1 Tbs chopped green chilly optional
  8. 2 Tbs coriander powder,2 Tbs turmeric powder,2 Tbs red chilly powder,2 Tbs salt
  9. 2 Tbs COOKING MASALA GARAM MASALA

INGREDIENTS: For making Palak Paneer from magic red sauce

  1. 1 kg Spinich, Washed and only top leaf part.
  2. 2 Tsp COOKING MASALA PANEER  MASALA & VEG. MASALA
  3. 4 Tsp cream (Vegan option is soya or cocunut cream) -and 1/4 kg. of Paneer cut in cubes ( For vegan option use tofu or boiled potatoes )
  4. 1 Tsp chopped fenugreek leefs dry or bassil leafs dry and Lemon optional.

Preparation

Put spinich  in water ,Drain water and wash well. And boil them in water till 40  as spinich has a very dominated taste so boiling will bring it less strong and I would be easy to make a smooth paste of spinich. Cool it down for 10 min. at least and blend it into smooth paste with as required water.

 

Magic Red sauce

Very Important:  We have two form of spices 1) Solid like asfoetida, cumin mustured seeds, and solid garam masala  and 2) Powder like chilly powder, turmeric, coriender and garam masala. Solid we use for aroma and powder we use for Taste. Always put your solid spices in hot oil and powder spices with water or something which contains water like tomato. Otherwise your  powder spices would burn.

  1. Heat the oil in fry pan. Taste the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil , If seed cracks right away, oil is ready. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds & solid Gram Masala Remember solid spice ….
  2. Put chopped onions and cook them till they get light brown. This is very important step of your magic sauce as if they don’t cermalized and they don’t get less strong your sauce would taste like onion sauce, so cook them till they get light brown, or white.
  3. Add ginger ,garlic paste, green chilly and tomato.Now there is water in tomato so we can Add turmeric and salt Add coriander powder, chilly powder , salt and garam masala.add some more water so spices do not burn in heat. Here some time your tomatoes are pulpy and some time hard soi make sure that you add a little water after so spices do not burn. Cook for 8 min. As soon as oil starts to get separate your magic sauce is done. Separating oil would indicate that your tomato cooked well and there is not any more water in tomatoes, if tomatoes don’t get cook well your sauce can taste watery.

From magic sauce to Palak Paneer

  1. Add Paneer masala AND VEG MASALA spice in magic red sauce Add fenugreek leafs and cream. Add boiled Spinich paste and paneer. Cook covered for another 7 min .on medium heat.
  2. Add more water as need to keep the gravy consistency to your liking, and let it cook on low heat more minute.
  3. Garnish it with cilantro and cream.

Making Paneer:   Boil 1 ltr milk and after boiling wait 2 min. After add 1 or more lime/ lemon juice. Add lemon juice and stir continously, as soon as milk separate from water don’t add more lemon juice. Now strain curded milk and strain with cheese cloth and squuze tightlt and hang it over night so all water comes down . Later put in freeze for 4 hours to get any prefferble shape.  

HAVE A SPICY DAY