Finally!

I love Indian food and have been dabbling in cooking it for awhile now.  Sometimes it turns out good, more often than not it has been a failure of a dinner.  As in it gets thrown out because it is so disgusting.  I just don't have a good hold on Indian spices so I have to follow recipes exactly, as it turns out there are a lot of crap recipes out there.  Which brings me to today.  I found a simple, healthy recipe for Saag Paneer - I had to try it. 

Imagine my surprise when it was not only easy to make but delicious.  In an effort to not lose, I figure if I post it here I can always find it later.  And, if you, like me have had some Indian issues you can try something that is good (in my opinion).

Saag Paneer
Credit: Quick Indian Cooking

• 225gm paneer
• 500gm frozen spinach
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• Half tsp chilli powder
• Half tsp turmeric powder
• 1 medium onion
• 1 large green finger chilli
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• Half tsp garam masala
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt to taste

Chop the block of paneer into even bite sized pieces. In a bowl, mix the paneer pieces with the turmeric, chilli powder and a teaspoon of salt and set aside.
Now, chop the onion roughly and mince or puree the ginger and garlic together. In a non-stick pot, bring the oil to heat over a high flame.
When it is hot, add in the paneer and fry on one side until golden brown and then flip over and repeat on the opposite side. Then remove it with a slotted spoon back into its bowl.
In the same oil, fry the onions, ginger and garlic next. When it starts going translucent, mix in the cumin and the chopped green chilli. Fry for about five minutes until the mixture turns a deep golden brown.
Now mix in the frozen spinach and let it cook for another five minutes. When it is thoroughly defrosted in the pot and mixed evenly with the masala, add half a cup of hot water and go in with a hand blender to liquidise the whole lot into a smooth, creamy mixture.
If you don’t have a hand blender, you could tip the spinach into a normal blender for the same result. When it is smooth and back in the pot, add in the fried paneer pieces and the garam masala. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the water dries up and the spices have penetrated the spinach thoroughly.
At this point, check for salt. You’ll need to add a fair bit to lift the spinach. But this dish is worth it. Eat it piping hot as a side dish or with some ready nan as a complete meal.