a list of recipes > Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

Peanut Oil
1 pound of Paneer chopped into small cubes

1/2 stick of Butter or 4 tablespoons of Ghee
4 cloves of Garlic chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh Ginger chopped (substitute with 1 Tablespoon of dry Ginger powder)
2 large Mild Dried Red Chile DeRistra Peppers, seeded and crushed
1 small Hot Dried Chile de árbol Pepper, seeded and crushed
1 teaspoon whole Cumin Seed

1 medium Sweet Onion finely chopped
1 large mild green fresh Anaheim Chile cut open and seeds cleaned out and chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
a 1/2 cup of water

Two 12 ounce bags of frozen Spinach. You may not use all of it, but will use most of it.
1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar

Finishing Spices: Use 1 teaspoon of this Freshly ground Garam Masala mix

2 teaspoons Coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
2 teaspoons Fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon White Peppercorns
6 Allspice seeds
8 whole Cloves
1 Star Anise cluster
seeds from 3 green cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 dried bay leave
1 dried small hot Red Chile
1 dried large mild Red New Mexico Chile
2 inch piece cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon black caraway seeds

Preparation of Paneer:

Heat Peanut Oil in a skillet or fry pan.

Fry the Paneer in the hot oil until browned on several sides

Preparation of Spinach Base:

Defrost the frozen Spinach in a microwave oven. Don't cook it, but making it warm will be helpful.

Heat the Butter or Ghee in the a large saucepan. Do not burn the Butter.

Add the Garlic, dry Chile Pepper flakes, Ginger and Cumin seeds. Stir the mixture into the butter.

When the aroma rises, add the Onions, Green Pepper, Salt and Water. Bring to high heat and stir frequently.

Cook the mixture until the Onions are very soft and aroma seems blended.

Turn off the heat and use an immersion mixer to blend the mixture into a smooth paste. You can add some of the cream or even some extra water if it helps the appliance do its job.

Add some of the Spinach and blend it smooth with the immersion mixer. Continue adding all the Spinach you want to use but balance the amount of Spinach you blend and the amount you do not to arrive at the texture you desire. With hold about a cup of Spinach to use for adjusting the texture after you add all the cream.

Add the Cream, stir it in gently and bring the heat back to a low simmer, but do not overcook the Spinach

Preparation finish:

Add the Garam Masala and Brown Sugar to the mixture and stir in gently.

Let the Garam Masala and Brown Sugar cook at a simmer long enough to bring out the flavor.

Add the Paneer to the Spinach base and stir in very gently

Remove from heat and the let the mixture rest while the flavors blend.

Serve when ready.