Palak paneer

Palak paneer

Ingredients:

A big bowl of spinach leaves( approx 5 cups)

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt to taste
200gms paneer
1 tablespoons oil

Wash the spinach leaves and blanch them for 3-4 minutes. Strain the water and allow it to cool. Don't discard the water.Heat oil and fry onions till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry well till the raw smell disappears. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft and have become a paste. You can smash them with the back of your spatula. Meanwhile puree the spinach. Add this to the tomato mixture. Mix well. Add the dry powders and salt.  Add the spinach water to adjust the consistency.Cut the paneer into cubes  and add it to the gravy. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Tip for a dhaba style flavour:

Heat a small piece of charcoal till red hot. Put it in a small bowl and place this bowl  on the gravy. Add 4-5 drops of ghee on the charcoal and immediately close the lid of the pan in which you have cooked the gravy. See that no smoke disappears from the pan. After 5 minutes open the lid and take out the bowl. Throw away the leftover ghee and charcoal.

Note: you can fry the paneer pieces. Fry the paneer  to golden brown and then dip them in water. Squeeze the pieces. This will make paneer soft and sponge . I prefer adding them raw . If you have stocked paneer for more than a week, just dip the pieces in hot water for 2 minutes and squeeze them. 
You can also add some cream to get a rich flavour.