Palak Paneer

A bit different from what you'll get if you order palak paneer at an Indian restaurant, but still very similar in terms of ingredients and flavors. Rather than blending everything into a curry-like sauce, this is a more rustic version.

Taken from the wonderful book Made In India by Meera Sodha.

Ingredients

14 oz. block of paneer

1 pound spinach (can use frozen chopped or fresh)

1 box of cherry tomatoes (these probably come in like 12-14 oz. boxes at the grocery store), halved

3 yellow onions, roughly diced

1x1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1-3 serrano chiles, finely chopped (quantity of chiles depends on how spicy you like it)

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1.5 tsp. ground cumin

1.5 tsp. chili powder

0.5 tsp. turmeric

0.5 tsp. ground coriander

2 Tbsp. ghee

Recipe

1. Cut the paneer into roughly 3/4-inch cubes

2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of ghee in a nonstick skillet over medium heat

3. Fry the paneer cubes for 5 minutes, turning the cubes frequently to achieve browning on all sides

4. Transfer the paneer to a plate lined with paper towel, and add some salt

5. In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat the remaining Tbsp. of ghee over low heat

6. Saute the onions with a bit of salt for 10 minutes or so on low heat until they're translucent and have given off a bit of moisture

7. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile peppers and cook for a few more minutes

8. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and the tomato paste, cover the vessel and cook for 5 minutes or so, temperature can probably go up to medium-low or medium at this point

9. Remove the lid and stir everything up, at this point the tomatoes have hopefully started to ooze a bit and give off more moisture to form a paste-like sauce. I like to use my spoon to mash at the tomatoes to extract more juice from them.

10. Add the cumin, chili powder, turmeric, and coriander and stir until everything becomes a very aromatic paste, and cook for another minute or two

11. Add the spinach. If using fresh spinach, this may need to happen in batches as the spinach will take up quite a lot of room in the pot until it has had enough time to wilt.

12. Once all the spinach has been incorporated, taste the mixture and salt as needed

13. Add the browned paneer cubes, stir everything up, and let cook for a few more minutes

14. Serve with rice or with some naan