Palak Paneer (spinach with cottage cheese)

Food for thought...!!

I love palak (spinach)..rich in iron and packed with vitamins...

This is a north indian delicacy which i love a lot.. very subtle to taste..not to spicy but yet having a rich tongue tantalizing flavour.... yummy is the word for this dish...

Here is the recipe..

To make palak paneer u need.:

Palak / Spinach - 1 big bunch (I used frozen)
Paneer -10-12 cubes
one riped tomato
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1/2 tsp
green chillies -4to 5
Onion - one small... chopped.
turmeric - just a pinch
Kitchen king masala -1/2 tsp (optional)
garlic ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
coriander mint paste - 1/2 tsp
dhania (coriander) powder - 1/2 tsp
Almonds - 1/3 cup-roasted
salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
oil
Butter : 1 tsp



The Method:

Firstly wash and clean the spinach. Cut them and keep it aside...not need to cut it very fine...

In a big saucepan... take some oil in it.. add the jeera then the chillies and let it fry a bit then add the spinach and let it cook covered. the spinach will leave water and become tender...Once its tender let it cool and then blend the whole mixture in a mixer and keep it aside.dont add water while grinding... spinach leaves its own water and thats enough for cooking...

Other preparations...
Boil the tomatoes, peel its skin and make a puree out of it..
grind the roasted almond ( without water) into a fine powder and keep it aside
shallow fry the paneer slightly till it becomes golden brown in colour..(you may also opt to put the panner as it is.... without frying them...choice is yours..)

Now take a fresh pan and pour some oil in it...
put in the ginger garlic paste and sautea bit... now put in the chopped onions... sautee till it becomes slightly pink in colour... now add a bit of turmerric, salt, the coriander and mint paste and the kitchen king masala...and sautee for 5 more minutes.. remember to keep the flame low as u dont want to burn the masala rt??...putting in kitchen king masal is optional... i like it with it...it gives an extra punch to the dish... u may avoid it..

Now add the spinach puree and the tomato puree to the pan.... let it cook.... now ad the almond powder and mix it well add water only if needed... the curry shudnt become very watery.... let it cook covered..on low flame for 5-10 mins or...till the spinach gets completely cooked and the gravy thickens a bit...

just when ur ready to turn off the flame.. add the paneer cubes
mix in thoroughly... and let it cook covered for 2 mins and off the gas...your tasty palak panner is ready to be served hot. top it with a spoon of butter before seving..:D

Serve with naan, chapati , roti or even with steamed hot rice. Enjoy!