*500gm spinach leaves
*150gm paneer cheese
*Peanut oil, for deep-frying
*2 tbsp peanut oil
*50gm unsalted butter
*1 tsp cumin seeds
*1 tsp mustard seeds
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*1/2 tsp red chilli powder
*1 tsp ground coriander
*1/2 tsp ground ginger
*1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
*2 tsp grated fresh young ginger
*1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
*1/4 tsp sugar, or to taste
*100ml single cream, or to taste
*1 tsp garam masala
- Cook spinach without water. Drain very thoroughly. When cool, chop finely. Set aside.
- Dice paneer into 2cm cubes. Deep fry at 180C for 1 minute to seal and lightly colour the surface. Drain on kitchen paper. Set aside.
- Fry 2tbsp of peanut oil + butter + cumin seeds + mustard seeds. Stir until start to hiss, crackle and pop
- Add the garlic. Fry for a minute or so until golden brown.
- Add red chilli powder + ground coriander + ground ginger + nutmeg : stir 1 minute
- Add the prepared spinach and stir constantly over a low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the paneer cubes, grated fresh ginger, salt and sugar to taste. Cook slowly for another 5 minutes.
- Finally, stir in the cream
- Sprinkle with garam masala and serve.
Paneer
To make the paneer, spread in an 8" buttered baking pan:
1 pound ricotta cheese
Cook, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours until it is firm and very slightly browned on top. Cut into 1" x 1/2" squares, and drain on paper towels, pressing lightly. Deep fry the squares in a basket, and drain off the oil. Set aside the paneer. The deep frying can be skipped, if desired. The unfried paneer will taste a little different, will not hold together quite as well, and will soak up the sauce more. Since you will only need part of the paneer for this recipe, you can freeze the remaining amount in an airtight container for later use.
