My husband and I have always loved the comfort factor of good Indian food, but the complex spices and flavors have always been somewhat mysterious to me. Only recently did I try making palak paneer at home after being inspired by one of my girlfriend's dinner parties (definitely a hard act to follow).
The spice concoction in this recipe is meant to resemble a garam masala, but it is in no way authentic -- I really just grabbed what I thought would work well off my spice rack and tossed it in. Surprisingly, I was very pleased with the results. Try playing around with your own spice blend to see what suits your palate. Here's my recipe:
The spice concoction in this recipe is meant to resemble a garam masala, but it is in no way authentic -- I really just grabbed what I thought would work well off my spice rack and tossed it in. Surprisingly, I was very pleased with the results. Try playing around with your own spice blend to see what suits your palate. Here's my recipe:
Ingredients
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated if available)
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbs mustard seeds
2-3 bay leaves
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1-2 cups buttermilk
1-2 cups chicken stock
1 can stewed tomatoes, roughly diced
1 tbs honey
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs honey
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 large bag frozen spinach, thawed
1 medium sized onion, diced
1 package paneer, diced into small bite-sized cubes
salt, pepper, and olive oil
naan and brown or basmati rice
Instructions
Lightly coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it on medium-high heat. Saute the onions, ginger, and garlic until translucent. Add all of the dried spices, tomato paste, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let the spices toast for a few minutes. Then add the stewed tomatoes, spinach, a few splashes of chicken stock, and a few splashes of buttermilk. Bring the concoction to a soft simmer. Add the lemon juice and honey. Let the mixture continue to cook and keep adding chicken stock and buttermilk until you reach your desired consistency. After the palak has been cooking for about 15-20 minutes, add the paneer and turn off the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the paneer is heated through, you're ready to serve it with some store-bought naan and rice.
Instructions
Lightly coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it on medium-high heat. Saute the onions, ginger, and garlic until translucent. Add all of the dried spices, tomato paste, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let the spices toast for a few minutes. Then add the stewed tomatoes, spinach, a few splashes of chicken stock, and a few splashes of buttermilk. Bring the concoction to a soft simmer. Add the lemon juice and honey. Let the mixture continue to cook and keep adding chicken stock and buttermilk until you reach your desired consistency. After the palak has been cooking for about 15-20 minutes, add the paneer and turn off the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the paneer is heated through, you're ready to serve it with some store-bought naan and rice.