There's something incredibly satisfying about mastering your favorite dish that you order when you go out to dinner. My personal favorite in Saag Paneer. The creamy spinach, subtle combination of Indian spices and the firm paneer makes this dish my all time favorite. I'm not much of a fan of cottage cheese, but I strangely love paneer. I can't tell you why, considering its basically the same thing. This recipe is extremely similar to saag panner, so mastering it has been such an accomplishment. I've been searching for a recipe for years, and i've come across many elaborate recipes that call for all sorts of complicated steps, so when I came across a simple weeknight version I was so happy. While the ingredient list may look daunting, the simple instructions more than make up for it. This dish was so good that I made it a second time this week and doubled the recipe so I could have leftovers to eat at work over the next week. I hope you enjoy mastering this friendly Indian recipe and spread the Indian love.
recipe adapted from Christie's Corner
Ingredients:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large onions, minced
2 Tbsp garlic, grated
2 Tbsp gingerroot, grated
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 cup paneer, cubed
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup full cream milk
Directions:
1. Chop the onions.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil then onions, and sauté until dark golden brown.
3. Add the garlic and ginger, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for three minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to low, add the garam masala, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, turmeric, and salt, and cook for five minutes.
6. Add the paneer and cook another 5-8 minutes.
7. Add the peas, yogurt and cream. Cook for five minutes or until the peas are just cooked.
8. Sprinkled with fresh cilantro. Serve over rice or with pappadaums, or both!
