Aish Cooks

Saag Paneer | Creamy Spinach and Paneer Curry

Hello there! It’s been 2 weeks since the little guy decided to quit camp in-utero and seek out the adventures on the outside.. so seemed like a good time to dust up the cobwebs on the blog and bring you all something that’ll make your evenings a little bit easier – a gourmet category dish that cooks in about 30 minutes. This version of the evergreen (pun intended!) Palak Paneer has come to become a favorite at our household. Well, let’s just say this is the only version I resort to these days given the reality of how 24 hours in a day can seem like a handful of minutes when you are on newborn-schedule.

The creaminess and texture of the curry make it taste so much like the restaurant-style version and with this no-fuss recipe you can whip it up in a jiffy for dinner or make-ahead (just add the paneer and cream later) for parties as well. So yeah, newborn or not.. this one’s a keeper for all of you cooks-in-a-hurry out there!

Saag Paneer | Creamy Spinach and Paneer Curry

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6

Ingredients:

1. 14 oz paneer, cubed into bite-sized pieces
2. 9 oz spinach (fresh or frozen, if frozen steam-cook as per instructions or add as-is)
3. 2 Tbsp butter / oil
4. 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
5. 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
6. 1 tsp (3 cloves) fresh garlic, chopped
7. 1/4 tsp ground turmeric powder (haldi)
8. 1 medium onion, chopped
9. 3 medium tomatoes, diced
10. 1 tsp red chili powder
11. 1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
12. 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
13. 1/3 cup heavy cream (substitute with half-and-half or milk for lighter version)
14. salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and allow it to sizzle.
2. Add the chopped onions along with some salt and cook until golden brown.
3. Add the ginger, garlic and ground turmeric powder and saute for a minute.
4. Add the tomatoes along with the chili powder and cumin powder and combine.
5. Cook on med-high until tomatoes are done.
6. Add the spinach, along with 1/2 cup of water if needed to prevent the spices from burning, and cook on medium-high until the spinach is cooked through. Turn off the heat.
7. Puree the spinach masala, with just a little water, allowing a little texture to remain.
8. Add the pureed spinach masala back to the same pan and turn on the heat.
9. Add the garam masala powder and combine.
10. Add 1 cup of water, or as needed, to thin down the curry to desired consistency.
11. Check salt, spice levels and adjust if needed. Bring to a simmer with lid-on.
12. Add the cubed paneer pieces and gently stir to combine with curry.
13. Cook for a few minutes until paneer softens. Reduce the heat to low.
14. Add the cream, and some water if desired, and combine carefully to avoid paneer from breaking or crumbling.
15. Bring to a low-simmer and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with roti or pulao!