Palak paneer/Saag paneer

Palak Paneer is one of my all time favorite Indian curries. It is a hearty, wholesome, comforting dish loved by all in my family too. Sometimes also known as Saag Paneer, it is an all time classic. The homemade cheese or paneer is slowly simmered in a very aromatic  and creamy curried spinach or saag/palak - an omnipresent dish in almost every menu of Indians restaurants all over the world. It is served with a basket of buttery naans. You break a piece of the bread, use it to scoop up the gravy and savor the mild yet authoritative burst of flavor, taste and texture.
The combination of spinach and cheese is a power pack. With the protein of the cheese and calcium, iron, vitamins of spinach, this dish besides being a treat to the eye and taste buds, is really good for you. If your kids get a liking for it - like mine did - it is also a great way to put some spinach in them.
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Saag Paneer Calzone/Spinach Paneer Curry Calzone (whole wheat)

love Italian food! Love eating it and love cooking it. Love the different layers, flavors complex yet simple, exotic yet rustic just like Indian food. You can sense the rich culture and the legacy from the food .
Our (indians) love for indo-chinese is well known but another cuisine that has come in from across the shores and become a part of the cuisine... is Italian. With its pastas and pizza and other goodies and use of herbs, five star restaurants as well as hole-in-the-wall stores near every street now have some kind of “pizza” on their menu! It keeps the essense of pizza that is a thick bread smothered in tomato ketchup topped with melty cheese, but almost always has a local (desi) touch to it whether it be use of paneer or chicken! Lots of fusion recipes have been born, you can easily find panner pizza even butter chicken pizza in any pizza hut franchise in india - I have few on my blog too. This time around I took my classic saag paneer recipe and tucked inside a calzone and the result was a beautiful marrige of two of my favorite cuisines - a fusion food heaven!
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Makki di roti 'n sarson da saag

Makki di roti 'n sarson da saag.. rustic, soulful, nutritious, delicious. The world famous Punjabi household staple is my family favorite too. The dish is comprised of two components, almost always paired together (a match made in heaven). Makki di roti essentially means corn flat bread and sarson da saag is mustard greens cooked up with traditional herbs and spices. The mustard greens are relatively easy to make but the Makki roti requires a little patience and skill. It took me a couple of attempts to get it right. So do not be disheartened if you have to give it a second shot to perfect it.




Ingredients:

For saag -

Mustard leaves ........................... 4 - 5 cups washed and chopped

Spinach leaves ........................... 10 oz packet chopped

Dill ........................................ 1 tblsp (optional)

Onion ..................................... 2 medium chopped fine

Tomato ................................... 2 medium chopped fine

Garlic ..................................... 4 - 5 fat cloves chopped fine

Ginger .................................... 2" chopped fine

Green chilli .............................. 2 chopped fine

Red chilli powder ....................... 1/2 tsp or to taste

Garam masala powder ................. 3/4 tsp

Oil ........................................ 1 tblsp

Ghee ...................................... 1 tblsp

Salt ....................................... to taste

Hing ...................................... a pinch

Turmeric powder ........................ a pinch

Makki ka atta............................. 1 tsp

Butter .................................... for garnishing

For Tadka -

Garlic ..................................... 1 clove, chopped

Tomato ................................... 1/2 medium, chopped

Green chilli .............................. 1 chopped

Ghee ...................................... 1 tsp

For roti -

Makki atta ............................... 2 cups

Whole wheat flour ..................... 1/2 cup

Daikon (mooli) .......................... 1/2 cup grated

Ajwain ................................... 1/4 tsp

Salt ....................................... 1 tsp or to taste

Hot water ................................ 1/2 cup or as needed

Oil for shallow frying

Method:

For saag -

1. Bring 3 cups of water in a large pot to a boil. Add in the mustard, spinach and dill and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes till the greens are tender. Drain and allow to cool a little. Puree the greens in a blender to make a slightly grainy paste. Keep aside.

2. Place oil and ghee in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Add hing, ginger, garlic and green chilli and stir till they get light brown in color, about a minute. Add the onion, turmeric and salt and cook till the onions are light golden brown. Add the tomatoes and 1 tsp makki atta and cook till the mixture appears mashed up and is even.

3. Add the pureed greens and cook till the oil separates. Stir occasionally. Add the red chilli powder and garam masala and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.

4. In a separate small pan, heat ghee on medium high heat. Add all the tadka ingredients and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Pour this over the cooked saag.

5. Place a glob of butter over the saag and serve with roti (see below).




For roti -

1. In a bowl take makki atta and whole wheat flour. Add salt and ajwain.

2. Squeeze out all the water from the grated mooli. Mix in to the flours evenly.

3. Knead by adding a little water at a time. Note that the dough will be grainy and will not get as smooth as a regular roti dough. Knead it enough so it can hold its shape if you form a ball in your hand.

4. To roll the roti, take a small ziploc bag, cut open two of its sealed sides to make a folder, moisten the insides with some water and place the ball in it. Cover and close. Place it on a flat surface and slowly but firmly press with your palm to roll the ball out into a 4 to 5 inch disc.,slightly thicker than roti.

5. Carefully remove the roti from the ziploc bag and place on a hot non-stick tawa. Let it cook on one side. Pour some oil on the top and flip to the other side. Cook evenly till the roti gets a nice golden color on both sides. Serve hot. ENJOY! 




Notes:1. Do not prepare the roti dough too much in advance as it dries out quick and becomes difficult to manage.