When you think of Punjabi food, this is the first dish that comes to mind. So when I made Amritsari Aloo Kulcha last week, palak paneer seemed to be the perfect side dish to go with it. I modified the recipe I found in 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer a little to suit our taste preferences.
Recipe adapted from 660 Curries: Ingredients: Spinach - 6~8 cups, chopped Paneer - 4oz., cubed Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped Tomato puree - ½cup
Green Chilies - 2~4
Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
Red Chili powder - ½tsp
Garam Masala/ Curry powder - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Fennel seeds - ½tsp
Salt - to taste
Method:
- Heat 2tsp oil in a saute pan, add the spinach and green chilies. Cook till the greens are wilted, about 3~4 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool, then grind to a smooth paste.
- Wipe the pan clean with a tissue, heat 2tbsp oil. Add cumin and fennel seeds; once the seeds start to splutter, add the chopped onions and cook till the onions are lightly browned around the edges.
- Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1~2 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree, cover and cook till the oil starts to float around the edges.
- Slowly add the spinach puree, red chili powder and salt. Mix well and cook covered till the flavors mingle. Add a little bit water if the mixture is too thick.
- Add the paneer and garam masala. Mix well and cook for 3~4 minutes to heat paneer through. Serve hot with roti, naan, kulcha and fried rice.
Linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: June -- Week 3'.
