Today, I have something great for you. It’s just one of those recipes, I’m just psyched out of my mind about…ya’ know? It’s just one of those recipes where you’re like, YES! This Saag Paneer is it. It’s possibly one of the best, most gratifying things I’ve ever made. Honestly.
Often times, I don’t have all the ingredients for a recipe. Guilty. I also always make adjustments and dash things in to my own taste. But with this Saag Paneer, I followed the recipe and decided to go all out on the ingredients.
A good spice rack takes a while to build up. I know this is something that my non-cook friends would roll their eyes at, but it’s important to me for occasions like this (and occasions like Pumpkin Shrimp Curry!). And spices can be expensive – especially the fancy ones that you use in tiny amounts once in a blue moon. PRO TIP: you can buy spice by weight at Whole Foods! Hallelujah! So Elizabeth and bought all the spices for this wonderful Indian dish – we wavered on the coriander but ultimately decided: go BIG or go home.
This recipe is ingredient-heavy, but I promise, it’s simple and a lot of fun to make. We decided to try our hand at homemade paneer. Paneer is a soft, fresh cheese typically used in South Asian cuisine, and when it’s marinated in turmeric, cayenne, and oil and pan-fried, it’s just called “delicious.”
Elizabeth straining paneer
All you need is a gallon of whole milk, lemon, and cheesecloth. You just bring the milk to a gentle boil, add the lemon juice, and the curds and whey separate – like magic. Strain all of that through cheesecloth set in a colander and just let it set up in the fridge. And twenty minutes later, bam! CHEESE! When you make cheese at home, you realize just how magical it really is. Really, give it a try.
The Saag portion of this dish is all in the details – finely chopped spinach, onion, ginger, and garlic get cooked up with a myriad of spice: serrano chili, garam masala, coriander, and cumin. It all gets finished with yogurt and the pan-fried paneer. We served it with brown rice and naan, and let me tell you – it was heaven! I love Indian food, but I had never made it before.
*This is very serious: if you like Indian food, do yourself a favor and have a little adventure in your kitchen with this recipe, and whomever you make it for will fall madly in love with you. Pinky promise.
We got the recipe straight from Aarti Sequeira here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/saag-paneer-spinach-with-indian-cheese-recipe.html
For other fantastic recipes like Nutella cinnamon rolls and Shrimp Diablo, check out Fiesta Friday. Enjoy!
*French phrase for fun:
Je voudrais un placard plein de toutes les épices.
I want a cabinet full of all the spices.
Sounds really good and yes lots of spices take lots of time (and sometimes space). In the past I’ve gotten a lot at Wegman’s (they have a nice section dedicated to spices and the prices are suprisingly not that high for a lot of them). Good to know about Whole Foods, next time I am near one will have to check that out as well :)
Thanks for the Wegman’s tip, Chad! I don’t make it out there often, but I’ll be sure to check out the spice isle when I do!
Katie, since you pinky promised, I will have to try this now. Challenge accepted! Your plate looks amazing; the spinach really brings great color to this dish.
Thanks Ngan! And you’ll have to let me know how it goes :)
I made my own cheese too! isn’t it just so much fun? The saag paneer sounds awesome, maybe I should make some more cheese for this! :-D
You definitely should! Marinated and then pan-fried like this is amazing.
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I love the picture of Elizabeth next to the sink! How cute! And I can’t believe making homemade cheese is that easy?? Oh, this is not good information! I already eat too much cheese as it is! ;)
Haha, I agree. The only good news is that n entire gallon of milk makes that one small disk, so there won’t be too much lying around :)
First of all, I always thought that making cheese was a huge project! Now, I might just try this! Secondly, I’m very impressed that you made your own saag! My Indian friends tell me just how long this takes! You have so much patience, but it is so worth it! What a wonderful dish!
It really was worth it. It was incredible – you have to try it!
My husband is in love with saag! :) Looks so tasty! Nice :)
Thanks! You should make it for him! :)
Am I the only person who’s never tried making homemade paneer? Or saag paneer? I have to change that. Thanks, Katie, for letting us know it’s worth a try! :-)
It definitely is! Thanks for hosting Fiesta Fridays! :)
This looks so good — especially with the homemade cheese! I always order this at Indian restaurants. It’s my kind of comfort food! I’m sure this homemade version is fantastic!
Saag paneer or palak paneer is my favorite dish! Kudos to you for making the paneer at home :). The dish looks good !
Thanks! You should definitely try it! Surprisingly easy!
Oh I make it all the time :). It’s one of the Indian curries. ;).