CREAMY SAAG PANEER
I cook this for my daughter whenever she visits because it is one of her favourite dishes. For many Indian households, Paneer is a must as a vegetarian dish - it is the equivalent of cooking a lamb or chicken curry for the vegetarians.
There are many ways to cook paneer - with peas in a curry or fried in a batter as a pakora to serve as an appetiser. It can be grated into koftas or simply as I have made it here with spinach - saag paneer is a marriage made in taste heaven!
I've replicated the cream normally used, with Alpro coconut yoghurt - this gives it a sweetness which offsets the spice and heat and brings out the creaminess in the paneer. Besides its much healthier!
You can eat this with Rotis or naan bread
Options: Add mushrooms to this - I used fried mushrooms to bulk out the leftovers and eked out this lovely flavoured dish.
You can also use up the leftovers in a wrap with some crunchy salad added. Its just as great cold!
- 200 grams soft paneer I use Tesco's mild and versatile paneer. (cut up into small cubes)
- For the paneer marinade: a sprinkle of salt, 1/2 tsp each of turmeric, roasted ground coriander,smoky paprika, and 1 tsp of zaatar.
- 250 grams baby leaf spinach
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 4 tablespoons tomato passata (or use canned tomatoes pureed in a blender)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- salt to taste
- 4 tablespoons coconut flavoured yoghurt (I use Alpro)
In a bowl, mix together the paneer and the marinade spices . Set aside.
Blanch the spinach in boiling water till wilted, drain. When cooled, squeeze the water out and chop up roughly.
In a shallow non stick pan, heat 2 tbs of oil and gently fry the paneer cubes on both sides.
Take them out onto a plate and set aside.
In the same frying pan, add another tbs of olive oil and when hot add the cumin seeds. Once they are crackling, add the onion and fry till lightly browned. Add the garlic and let it release its flavour. Then add the tomato passata and cook it for a couple of minutes
Next, add the spinach and mix together, frying off the water from the spinach.
Add the garam masala and salt.
Now add the paneer in and then the yoghurt. Mix gently and let all the spices melt into each other. Check for salt. Its ready to serve - with naan or rotis.
Add a little crunchy onion salad and some yoghurt on the side if you wish.
My daughter loved it and found the addition of the creamy coconut yoghurt pretty heavenly!