Saag Paneer

Saag Paneer is one of my favourite Indian dishes, there`s something really satisfying about the creaminess of the spinach with the heat of the chilies mixed together just to get cut down by a nice piece of paneer. It can be enjoyed with a nice Roti, Paratha, Naan or simply a bowl of rice.

This recipe is really simple and fast to make, so if you`re looking for a quick, meat-free and healthy option to take to lunch or just for a quick weeknight dinner, this might be your new favourite.

Start by peeling and cutting the top half of the butternut squash and dicing it into 1cm cubes then placing it in boiling water, cook ‘till tender. When a fork can go through it with very little resistance, drain the water and reserve.

While the squash is cooking, make your mise-en-place – cutting and preparing all ingredients beforehand makes cooking easier and faster. Small dice 1 Spanish onion, grate 2 teaspoons of ginger and 3 garlic cloves, dice 1 tomato and slice 2 fresh chilies (remove the seeds if you don`t it to be too spicy). Keep them all separated in a baking dish or separate bowls.

Add 4 Cups of Fresh Spinach to a food processor with a ¼ cup of water and pulse until the spinach is almost fully chopped. If you decide to use frozen spinach, thaw in a colander and reserve a ¼ cup of the water.

Cut 1 Lb of paneer into 1 cm cubes (or simply make 1 cm slices if you want to grill it). Saute the cubes on medium-high heat in a large pan with 1 tablespoon of oil moving them around constantly to make sure all the sides get lightly browned. For the grilling, grill each slice about 2 minutes a side (until you have nice grill marks on each side) and then cut each slice in 4 pieces. Reserve.

In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and ground cumin, 3 teaspoons of garam masala, ½ teaspoon each of turmeric and red chili flakes. Now you have all ingredients cut and prepared, and a spice mix.  

In a large pan, sauté the cut onion with 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook until they start to get translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add grated garlic, ginger, chopped chilies, the cooked butternut squash and the spice mix to the pan, mix and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chopped tomatoes and the prepared spinach to the pan, mix and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The water should have evaporated a little bit at this point, add ½ cup of canned coconut milk (the thicker kind) and the cubed paneer, season with salt and black pepper, put a lid on it and let it cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with your choice of starch and enjoy!

Saag Paneer

Servings: 4

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 Cups Fresh Spinach (or 2 Cups Frozen Spinach, thawed)

½ Butternut Squash (top)

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

2 tbsp Canola Oil

1 Lb Paneer, cubed

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 Spanish Onion

2 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Tomato

3 tsp Garam Masala

½ tsp Turmeric

2 Fresh Red Chili (seeds removed if you don`t want it spicy)

½ tsp Chili Flakes

½ Cup Coconut Milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

Step-by-Step

1.       Boil cubed butternut squash until tender, drain and reserve.

2.       Cut the paneer into 2 cm cubes and grill or sear until browned on all sides. Add spinach and ¼ cup of water in a food processor and pulse until it` finely chopped. If you don`t have a food processor, you can just use a knife.

3.       Sauté the chopped onion in a large skillet on medium heat until tender, add garlic, ginger, chopped chilies, butternut squash and spices and cook for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chopped tomatoes and spinach and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add coconut milk and grilled paneer, cover and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.