Palek Paneer

Paneer is a traditional Indian cheese from the dairy-rich state of Punjab. It is totally vegetarian, and widely used as a meat substitute in Indian cooking. In texture and appearance, it resembles tofu. And like tofu, it has the ability to absorb the flavors of whatever ingredients you cook it with.

Paneer goes particularly well with palek (spinach), as this spicy dish neatly demonstrates. You can serve it as part of a multi-dish Indian meal. Or, served with either rice or an Indian-style bread such as naan, it will make a delicious dinner for two.

• 2 tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 red chili, finely chopped
• 1 - 2 tsp. of ground spices (your choice of turmeric, coriander, ginger, cumin, etc., in any combination)
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• Several sprigs of spinach (about 4 oz, 110g)
• One 6-oz (175 g) pack of paneer, cut into small cubes
• 1/3 cup (3 fl oz, 90 ml) of hot water
• A few leaves of fresh cilantro (coriander) or parsley

Heat the oil or ghee in a large skillet or wok. Add the onions and cook for about five minutes.

Add the garlic, chili, spices and tomato. Cook for a further five minutes.

Add the potato, spinach, paneer and hot water. Boil gently for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the potato is soft. Add the cilantro or parsley just before serving.

Palek Paneer

• 2 pounds fresh baby spinach, washed and stems trimmed
• 1/4 cup ghee
• 1/2 pound cubed paneer cheese
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon curry powder, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• Salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, toss in the spinach and blanch for 1 minute until very tender. Dump the spinach into a colander and press firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much water as possible, set aside.

Heat the ghee in a deep skillet over medium-high flame. Add the cubed paneer and fry for a couple of minutes until light brown on all sides, gently turning to avoid breaking up the cubes. Remove the cheese from the skillet and set aside.

Return the skillet to the heat and saute the onions, garlic, and ginger; cook and stir for about 5 minutes until soft. Sprinkle the mixture with the curry powder; continue to stir to marry the flavors, about 1 minute. Fold in the chopped spinach and give everything a good toss. Shut off the heat and stir the buttermilk and yogurt into the spinach to incorporate. The mixture should be creamy and somewhat thick. Gently fold in the fried paneer cubes, season with salt, to taste, and serve with steamed basmati rice and/or flat bread.

Curry Powder:

• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 dried red chiles, broken in pieces, seeds discarded
• 1 tablespoon turmeric

Toast the whole spices (coriander, cumin, fennel, cloves, mustard, cardamom and peppercorns) and the chiles in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the pan often to prevent them from burning. Toast for a couple of minutes until the spices smell fragrant. In a clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together to a fine powder. Add the turmeric and give it another quick buzz to combine. Use the spice blend immediately, or store in a sealed jar for as long as 1 month.

Yield: about 1/2 cup