Punjab, where I am from, is known for saag (farm greens) and when I used to go to visit my grandparents during winters, I would be fascinated by how my grandma would spend hours perfectly seasoning and churning the saag with a wooden mathani or churner until all the flavors mixed well together and the mixture of greens became a smooth puree. She just served it with corn flatbreads, but over the years I have taken that recipe and added Indian cottage cheese or paneer to create my own version of the delicious and much-loved saag paneer.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby spinach leaves
- 8 ounces fresh fenugreek leaves, finely chopped
- 8 ounces mustard greens, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 to 2 green Thai chiles
- 1 small knob ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup besan or chickpea flour
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 pound paneer, store-bought or homemade, recipe follows, cut into a large dice
- Chapati, for serving
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- For the greens: Fill a large Dutch oven with water and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves, fenugreek leaves, mustard greens, salt, garam masala, garlic, green chiles, ginger and onion. Cover with the lid and boil until cooked, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the greens water, then drain the greens and add them to a blender. Blend the greens with the reserved water to a coarse paste, adding a little more water if required to move things along in the blender.
- Add the butter to a large Dutch oven and heat over medium-low heat until melted. Add the besan and cook on low heat until the mixture starts to turn brown and become a thick roux, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add the greens to the roux and mix well. Return the pot to the burner and cook over low heat until the mixture is just slightly thicker, 4 to 5 minutes.
- For the paneer: Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a large sauté pan over medium heat until hot and melted. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to sizzle, about 30 seconds, then add the ginger, garlic and onion and sauté until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fenugreek, turmeric and salt. Add the paneer and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the paneer mixture to the greens pot and cook on low until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve hot with chapati.
- Add the milk and turmeric to a large nonreactive pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the vinegar and salt and simmer until the curd separates from the whey, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line a fine-mesh strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth. Ladle the milk mixture into the strainer and let sit to fully drain, about 5 minutes. Pull the cheesecloth over the solid mixture and fold it over so that it is flat on top and encompasses the solids. Place onto a rimmed baking sheet and place a cutting board on top. Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot with water and place the pot on top of the cutting board to continue pressing out any excess moisture. Let the paneer press until all the moisture has been expelled, about 4 hours.
- Remove the paneer from cheesecloth, store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 626 |
| Total Fat | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 55 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Sugar | 29 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 92 mg |
| Sodium | 1409 mg |