Palak Paneer

My daughter's all-time favorite dish! She is always jumping and skipping around me when I make this.
Palak paneer is a popular vegetarian Indian dish consisting of spinach and paneer (Indian farmer's cheese) in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach. Palak paneer is one type of saag, which can also be made with mustard leaves.
Serve with hot rice, naan, roti or kulcha. I made kulcha's for the first time and boy were they good. My good friend L had made it when we went to her house and they were delicious! She shared the recipe with me!

 For the palak puree:

 1 bunch fresh spinach/palak

 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped

 1 garlic (optional)

 ½ inch ginger, roughly chopped

 For the palak curry:

 1 small or medium sized onion, finely chopped

 1 small or medium sized tomato, chopped

 4-5 garlic, finely chopped

 ½ or ¾ tsp cumin seeds

 ¼ tsp turmeric powder

 ½ tsp red chili powder (optional)

 a pinch of asafoetida (optional)

 ½ tsp garam masala powder (add more if required)

 1 bay leaf/tej patta

 200 gms paneer or tofu

 1 or 2 tbsp cream

 2 tbsp oil or ghee or unsalted butter

 1 tsp kasuri methi leaves/dry fenugreek leaves (optional)

 salt as required

 water as required

 A few teaspoons of cream or butter for topping the palak paneer (optional)

Rinse the spinach very wall in water.  Boil water in a pan with some salt.  Switch off the fire and add the spinach leaves in the hot water.  Close with a lid and let the spinach leaves sit in the water for 2-3 mins. Drain and immediately add the leaves in a pan or bowl containing ice cold water.  This helps in preserving the green color of the spinach. Drain and then puree the spinach in a blender or hand blender with ginger, garlic and green chilies and make a smooth puree.

Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Fry the cumin first, then add the bay leaves and onions.  Fry till the onions are golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are mushy.

 

Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and asafoetida.  Stir fry for a few seconds. Add the spinach puree and a cup of water.

Simmer for 6-7 minutes till the spinach is cooked. Finally, add salt and garam masala. Stir in the paneer cubes. Cook the gravy till the paneer cubes become soft. Add cream and stir. Simmer for 30 seconds or a minute. At this stage you can also add some crushed kasuri methi leaves.