Palak Paneer

When I was a kid, my mom told me ,spinach was good for me. When is Mom ever wrong? Spinach offers twice as much fiber as other greens. So when you want a salad that's going to fill you up, go for the spinach variety. Spinach is a nutrition superstar, even a fairly good source of iron. It's loaded with vitamins and minerals, some of which are hard to find in other foods.

The A and C vitamins in spinach plus the fiber, folic acid, magnesium and other nutrients help control cancer, especially colon, lung and breast cancers. Foliate also lowers the blood levels of something called homocysteine, a protein that damages arteries. So spinach also helps protect against heart disease.  You want to know more details about Palak, please see the link :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach

Palak Paneer (Hindi: पालक पनीर, Urdu: پالک پنیر) is an Indian and Pakistani dish consisting of spinach and Paneer cheese in a curry sauce. It is a popular vegetarian dish.  My version of Palak Paneer:

Ingredients:

Spinach                                     – 2 large bunches

Paneer                                    – 250gms, cubed

Green chillies                              – 4 no

Ginger Paste                              -   1 tbsp

Lemon Juice                                 - 1tbsp

Cumin seed                                  - ¼ tsp

Cream                                         – 1 tablespoon (optional)

Salt                                            – to taste

Oil                                              – 2 teaspoons

Sugar                                           – 1 tsp

 Chilled water                             A large bowl

Coarsely Powdered:
(Cinnamon, Cardamom,Cloves)          1 tsp

Method:

• Remove stems and wash the spinach thoroughly.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to a running boil. Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water for two minutes. Do not cover the pan.
• Strain the spinach and transfer it into bowl of chilled water and refresh it.
• Grind spinach into a fine paste along with green chillies and ginger paste. If you want the spinach puree thicker, blend a couple of seconds only.
• Slightly dry fry the masalas and powder it. Keep aside.
• Dice Paneer into one inch by one inch by half inch pieces. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to change color, add masala powder and fry for few minutes. Add the spinach puree and stir. Add a dash of salt
• Remember that spinach has its own natural salt so the dish needs relatively little top-up.
• As soon as the gravy comes to a boil, add the Paneer, sugar and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Stir a couple of times – very gently, you don’t want the Paneer to crumble. Add water if required.
• Before switch off add  lemon juice and cream (optional)
• Serve piping hot with chapatis,Pulka