Palak Paneer

Indian spinach and homemade cheese

The key to a green palak paneer is to not overcook the spinach. Or, you can blanch the spinach before adding it to the recipe.

For the paneer:

1 gallon whole or 2% milk
1/3-1/4 cup lemon juice or vinegar

Pour the milk into a large pot on the stove and stir it until it’s about to boil. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the acid of your choice. You will probably not need to use all 1/3 cups of the vinegar/lemon juice. Stir until the curds separate from the whey, then drain slowly into a strainer lined with cheese cloth. (most clean dish-drying cloths should work for this) Run cool water over the paneer and then squeeze the cheese cloth as much as you can. Carefully place the paneer on a large piece of plastic wrap and form into a sort of square shape. Pile as many books on top of it as you can, then start on the palak.

For the palak:

8-10 lightly packed cups fresh spinach
1 chopped onion
a couple Tbsp ghee
1 can of chopped tomatoes (use fresh if you have the means to)
2 chopped cloves garlic
red pepper flakes
freshly ground fenugreek seeds
freshly ground garam masala
a pinch of sugar
1/3 cup whole milk or coconut milk
2-3 Tbsp flour
Paneer
Salt and pepper if you wish
Optional: ground black cardamom, turmeric, ginger

Put the ghee and spices in a pan on medium heat. After a few minutes, add the garlic and onions. Cook until translucent and then add the can of (drained) tomatoes. Meanwhile, put the spinach in a blender with the milk and blend until it reaches the desired consistency. Mix the blended spinach, along with the sugar and flour, with the onion mixture and cook uncovered on the stove for 5-10 minutes. Fold in the paneer and enjoy. Serves 4-6 hungry college students.