Saag Paneer

I had Saag Paneer a couple of years ago in Llandudno in Wales. Since that time I wanted to cook it at home.

The dish started yesterday. Paneer is not a type of cheese you can get here in local supermarkets. I once found it in the large Asian supermarket. I called ahead and they did not have it in store. I decided to prepare it myself. Whole milk and lemon juice and some salt are in stock at home.

I found an easy method this time. No problems with boiling over or burning on the bottom of the pot. I poured the 1.5 liters of milk in my Thermomix, put it on 90 C speed 2 for 19 min. When the bell rang, I chucked in 37,5 g of lemon juice and let it  wirl one more min. Let it sit 3 min and then pour in into a cheese cloth over a bowl with a sieve. Press out more liquid, wash it a bit under running water to get the lemon taste out. Salt it and fill it in cheese drip containers to set. Turn after 90 min, set into a dish with a rack and put some water filled jars on top to press down. Put in the fridge for 24 hrs.

The spinach I bought fresh was just 200 g. I went into my freezer and got out 200 g of frozen spinach too. That was the right amount of spinach for this dish. Kasoouri Meti or fenugreek leaves fresh are not available here. I brought a package of dried leaves from my trip to Mauritius and uses them instead.

I mostly did my cooking after the recipe video on "Allrecipes". The steps were nearly identical. 

recipe for 2:

400 g fresh spinach leaves, 2 large shallots, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 knob of ginger

3 tbsp mustard oil or canola oil, 175 g Paneer cheese, 2 tomatoes, 1/2 cup double cream, 50 ml water

1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 3 tbsp fenugreek leaves dried, 1 tsp Garam Masala, 1 tsp tumeric, salt and pepper

In a pot with salted boiling water let the spinach leaves wilt, drain and wash under cold water. Press out some of the water. Put in a blender to make spinach puree. Set aside.

In a pan in a tbsp of oil fry the Paneer chunks for 5 min or until they took color all around. Set aside.

In the pot heat up more oil and toss the cumin seeds in, let them pop and add the chopped shallots. Fry them for a couple of min, add garlic and ginger paste and chopped tomatoes. Fry a bit more and add the spices.

In with the spinach and the fenugreek leaves and add the cream and a bit of water. Stir well and add the cheese. Cook on low for 10 min. check the seasoning again and add salt if needed. Either serve with Naan or rice.