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Garam masala

30 minute mealsIndianVegetarian

Saag Paneer

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

Introducing the saag paneer. Not to be confused with the palak paneer, saag paneer can be made from any greens (its sister, palak paneer, on the other hand, is made of spinach(b.b. “palak” is the Hindi name for spinach). Originating from Northern India, saag typically refers to a combination of spinach and mustard greens.

This well-loved vegetarian dish is often shared but I often eat it alone as a meal in and of itself alongside some roti. What’s more, it is rich in calcium and folate and is gluten-free too.

Saag Paneer

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Serves: 2
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 1.3/5
( 4 voted )

Ingredients

  • Spinach, 8 ounces
  • 1/2 onion diced or 2 shallots diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 2 tablespoons of ghee
  • 1 tablespoon of grated ginger and garlic paste
  • 1 green chilli, diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander
  • Salt and pepper, to season

Instructions

  1. Heat pot of water to a boil and blanch spinach in it for 2-3 minutes. Then drain in colander. Dice.
  2. In a saute pan, add tablespoon of ghee and pan fry the paneer until golden brown on all sides. Set aside on a dish.
  3. Add another tablespoon of ghee and gently fry the onions on a low heat. Follow shortly with the garlic and ginger paste. Add the green chilli too and tomatoes. Keep cooking for around 10 minutes or so till onions turn translucent. Add water if you sense it burning.
  4. Add garam masala, coriander and cumin.  Cook for a few minutes on low heat.
  5. Add the spinach back into pan with 1/4 tablespoons of water. Follow with the seared paneer. Cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with naan or roti.

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30 minute mealsIndianVegetablesVegetarian

Low Fat Paneer Tikka Masala

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

Cabin fever has forced me to be increasingly confined in my creative space so as such, I have been incessantly tinkering with the plethora of spices Indian cuisine has to offer. Largely due to my quest to become vegetarian I have been concocting healthier Indian vegetarian dishes. Something as simple as substituting heavy cream with cashews works wonders.

In very general terms, tikka masala is a tomato and cream based sauce with magical blend of spices added. While most believe this dish is authentically Indian, some say this dish originated from Britain, with some disputing and saying it is from Glasgow, Scotland. Regarding the spices, it is totally up to you what concoction of indian spices you want to add. Below is just my personal favourite.

Note that this tikka masala sauce is most commonly paired with chicken, hence the “Chicken tikka masala” chicken name you often see in restaurants. But since I’ve been on a vegetarian – and paneer – craze, I opted to use paneer instead.

 

Low Fat Paneer Tikka Masala

PREP TIME: 12 min | ACTIVE TIME: 18 min | TOTAL TIME: 30 min | YIELDS: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Paneer marinade:

  • 200 gram paneer
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
  • 1/ 2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

Tikka masala sauce:

  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 medium onion, sliced finely
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 8 cashews
  • 1/4 teaspoon kashimi spice

METHOD:

  1. Marinade paneer in the paneer marinade mix as noted above.
  2. Heat saute pan on medium heat and add a dollop of oil. Once oil is sizzling, gently pan fry the paneer until it browns. Flip carefully. Turn off heat and set aside.
  3. In a separate pot or pan, heat a dollop of oil and add the onions. Sweat until translucent. Tip the chopped tomatoes in along with the cashews and the spices for the sauce. Add the water and cook for 8-10 minutes to let the flavours soak in.
  4. Transfer the sauce to a vitamix or high speed blender and blend on high until a smooth paste forms.
  5. Now return to the paneer cubes in the pan. Turn on the heat again to low and pour in contents from the blender. Gently stir to coat the paneer all over.
  6. Once mixture has simmered for another minute or two you can serve it in a bowl. Garnish with some chopped fresh coriander and cashews with a sprinkle of kashimiri spice if desired.

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IndianVeganVegetarian

Palak Paneer

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

This Coronavirus is driving me insane; namely due to cabin fever. So what I like to do best when I’m stuck indoors is to create new, delicious concoctions. My latest fascination has been tinkering with the plethora of Indian spices. As a general rule, Indian home cooks use far more spices and flavourings than do most Western cooks. No two curries will ever taste exactly the same.

My favourite dish to make and devour is the palak paneer. This is particularly apt given my latest desire to become vegetarian (or pescetarian). This is, what I genuinely believe, to be the tastiest way to consume your greens. Throw in some minced garlic, ginger, diced tomatoes, onions and a concoction of indian herbs and ‘palak’ (spinach), and you will come out with a delicious green curry whereby you can simmer paneer cubes in.

Note that while most traditional palak paneer recipes call for cream, I like to be ‘nicer’ to my waistline so I have skipped the heavy cream and opted for cashews instead, which also lend the ‘creaminess factor’ to the curry.

Be forewarned that this sauce is delicious so you would be mopping up every last drop with your chopati, roti or naan.

Palak Paneer

PREP TIME: 10 min | COOK TIME: 15 min | TOTAL TIME: 25 min | YIELDS: 2 servings

palak paneer

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 200g spinach
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of minced ginger
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 green chilli, diced
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/8 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamon
  • 8 cashews
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt, to taste
  • Fresh coriander, to garnish
  • 1 cup of water

METHOD:

  1. Rinse spinach under cold running water and chop the ends of the spinach (you don’t want the roots).
  2. Heat a saute pan on medium high heat and fill it up with some water. Once it boils, add the spinach to the pan and let it parboil for 1 minute till it wilts. Have an ice bath ready so that once the spinach has wilted, you quickly use your tongs to transfer the spinach to the ice bath to keep the color bright green.
  3. Empty the water from the pan and wipe dry. Heat the same pan on medium heat and gently toast the dry spices. Then add the chopped onions so that they sweat a little. Next add the green chill, tomatoes and cashews. Cook the mixture for 8-10 minutes until it breaks down and season generously with salt.
  4. Transfer the content to a high speed blender and blend on high speed until a smooth paste forms.
  5. In the meantime, heat a small pot on medium high heat and add a dollop of oil. Once oil is shimmering, add the paneer. You want to gently brown the paneer.
  6. In the same pot with the paneer, pour the content inside the blender and turn heat to low. Simmer gently for 8 minutes or so until the mixture gets hot. Garnish with coriander (if you wish). Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with chopati, roti or garlic naan.

 

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