Showing posts with label palak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label palak. Show all posts
Veggie Might Palak Paneer World Curry Tour ‘10
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.
Last we left World Curry Tour ‘09, I was experimenting with asafetida and curry leaves alongside my imaginary mentor, Madhur Jaffrey. Well, it’s a brand new year and it’s time get the band back together.
Last week, I showed you how to make easy-and-delicious paneer with just milk and a little lime juice. Now, let’s put the cheese of that labor into its proper place: palak paneer, courtesy of Mahanandi, shared by the delightful Anand.
Palak paneer is the classic North Indian spinach and cheese dish ubiquitous in Indian restaurants across America. It’s (generally) mild, always delicious, and can be healthier than the cheese suggests. This recipe is spicier than most restaurant versions (as my charming dinner guest [CDG] will testify), so cut back on the chilies if you want less heat.
For this recipe, I used homemade paneer made with 2% milk and substituted the ghee (clarified butter) with a splash of canola oil. The original recipe also called for optional cashews, which I omitted for fat and calories sake.
I made two other divergences for convenience and seasonality: jalapeños for green chilies (I looked at 3 shops without success!) and canned crushed tomatoes for fresh (It’s January in NYC!).
Even with the modifications, the palak paneer was a success. Savory, spicy, and creamy, it went perfectly with the urad dal (split black lentils) I bungled by going off on my own and veering from this Mark Bittman recipe. All was not lost; CDG was still impressed.
Oh Hey, This Is Fascinating: Until this writing, I always thought “saag” was spinach. Well, live on the Internet and learn. Turns out, “palak” is spinach, and “saag” or “sag” is greens, like collards, mustard greens, spinach, etc. Thank you, InterWeb.
And thank you, Anand, for sharing this recipe. It takes a little bit of work, but the payoff is worth it. World Curry Tour is back. Next stop…only Madhur knows for sure.
~~~
If you like this recipe, you may enjoy
- Pindi Chana
- Tunisian-style Beans and Greens
- Beets and Greens Curry
Palak Paneer
serves 4
Adapted from Mahanandis Palak Paneer.
2 tsp canola oil
6 cups spinach (one large bunch), washed and torn
5 oz paneer, cubed
8 oz canned crushed tomato
5 green chillies or 3 jalapeños, finely diced
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic-ginger-cilantro paste (or more to your taste)
1/2 tsp coriander powder (or freshly ground coriander seeds)
1/2 tsp cumin powder (or freshly ground cumin seeds)
1 tsp salt
1) In a large skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat and sauté chilies for 2 minutes or so. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
2) Blend the spinach and chilies with a pinch of salt in a food processor, blender or food mill until smooth. Set aside.
3) In the skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat and sauté onions until translucent. Add the garlic-ginger-cilantro paste, cumin, and coriander, and continue to cook for 2 – 3 more minutes.
4) Add the pureed spinach and crushed tomatoes to the onion mixture along with 1 tsp of salt. You may add a bit of water, if necessary, but it should not be runny or soupy. Simmer for 5–10 minutes.
5) Add paneer cubes and simmer for 2–3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
6) Serve with dal (lentils/beans) and rice for delicious meal that is sure to impress.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price per Serving
162 calories, 10.3g fat, 4.25g fiber, $1.16
Calculations
2 tsp canola oil: 80 calories, 9.3g fat, 0g fiber, $0.05
6 cups spinach: 42 calories, .75g fat, 6g fiber, $1.50
5 oz paneer: 331 calories, 26g fat, 0g fiber, $1.50
8 oz canned crushed tomato: 72 calories, 0g fat, 8g fiber, $.50
3 jalapeños: 12 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, $.24
1/2 large onion: 40 calories, .2g fat, 3g fiber, $.50
1 tsp garlic-ginger-cilantro paste: 3 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, $.012
1/2 tsp coriander powder: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.02
1/2 tsp cumin powder: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.02
1 tsp salt: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.02
Totals: 580 calories, 36.3g fat, 17g fiber, $4.36
Per serving (totals/4): 145 calories, 9g fat, 4.25g fiber, $1.09
Palak Tofu Paratha
Friday, February 14, 2014
Palak and tofu,both are my favourite and i love anything with these two. But since few months, my lil one started saying no to tofu and he is completely using to take tofu.During my recent visit to nearby chinese store, i didnt hesitate a second to grab a packet of firm tofu and back home, i really want to add this wonderful soya cheese in our food. Everyone at home love parathas, so obviously ill try to make parathas quite often with anything, if you go through my recipe index , you can definitely see how we love parathas, obviously i have a huge collection of different parathas.
Finally i prepared this green parathas with spinach and tofu puree, i simply cooked some spinach leaves and finally i grinded both the cooked spinach and extra firm tofu together to make a thick puree. I used this puree for kneading my dough, so that none will notice the addition of tofu. The addition of tofu turned out this paratha simply super soft and these parathas while cooking puffed very much like our rotis.My kids simply loved this attractive green parathas and needless to say my lil one enjoyed very much.Now i know how to feed my small picky eater with tofu.Sending to my own event Healthy Diet-Go green guest hosted by Amurta.
Finally i prepared this green parathas with spinach and tofu puree, i simply cooked some spinach leaves and finally i grinded both the cooked spinach and extra firm tofu together to make a thick puree. I used this puree for kneading my dough, so that none will notice the addition of tofu. The addition of tofu turned out this paratha simply super soft and these parathas while cooking puffed very much like our rotis.My kids simply loved this attractive green parathas and needless to say my lil one enjoyed very much.Now i know how to feed my small picky eater with tofu.Sending to my own event Healthy Diet-Go green guest hosted by Amurta.
2cups Wheat flour
1/2cup Spinach
1/2cup Extra firm tofu
1tsp Ajwain seeds
Salt
Oil for cooking
Bring boil a cup of water, add the cleaned and chopped spinach, cook for few minutes until they shrinks.
Drain the excess of water and take the cooked spinach,tofu together in a mixer, grind as smooth paste without adding water.
Now add this puree, ajwain seeds,salt to the wheat flour, knead everything as a soft dough.(add water incase if you need else this puree will work wonder to knead the dough)
Keep aside for half an hour, make 7-8medium sized balls from the dough, dust it with enough flour and roll them as round circles.
Heat a tawa, add the rolled parathas to the hot tawa, drizzles oil and cook in medium flame until both sides gets well cooked.
Enjoy this healthy parathas with your favourite side dish.
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