Palak Paneer (Spinach with Indian Cheese cubes)

We went to the farmers market this weekend and they had lovely bunches of spinach. We brought a bag full and guess what we made? Palak Paneer! Its a childhood favorite. Mom used to make it often for Sunday lunch. I am recreating her recipe here with some changes. I used the microwave to cook the spinach but you can pressure cook it for one whistle.

Ingredients:

3 bunches fresh spinach or 3 cups frozen spinach

12-15 cubes fried paneer (150 grams)

1 medium onion (125 grams)

3-4 garlic cloves

3-4 green chilies

1 inch knob of ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

1/4 teaspoon raee (mustard seeds)

Pinch hing (asafoetida)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 teaspoon dhania-jeera powder (cumin coriander)

Salt

Wash the spinach well and cut the stems from the leaves. Sprinkle some water on the spinach and microwave for about 5 minutes on high power, stirring once, till it is wilted and partly cooked. Set aside to cool.

In a blender, make a paste of onion, garlic, chilies and ginger. Keep aside. Then puree the cooled spinach with about 1/2 cup of water.

In a large pan, heat the oil and add the hing, jeera and raee. When they start to crackle, add the onion-garlic-chilies-ginger paste. Saute for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell goes away and add the spinach puree. Add the turmeric and dhania jeera powder along with salt. Cook till it starts to bubble. Add the paneer cubes and cook for another minute. Serve hot with rotis, parathas, naan or jeera rice.

I am sending this recipe to 'Healing Foods Event - Spinach' hosted by Divya and started by Siri.