Palak Paneer (Spinach With Cheese)

I went for a walk and checked out the new store in my neighborhood. The lady I talked to she was the owner and she  sells African food.  I told her I am a food bloger and gave her the url for my blog.  She told me she likes palak paneer (spinach with cheese) and she requested  that I write this recipe.

However my husband loves this dish too and he was also very happy.  Paneer (Cheese) First thing first is check this link  for paneer (cheese).

It starts with 1 lb or 1 kilo of fresh or frozen spinach. If using fresh,  pick the spinach greens and be on the lookout for bad leaves. The fresh is very  gritty so I put it in the large colander and added 1 drop of dish soap and washed the greens.

Keep washing and rinsing the greens under cold water until the water turns clear and no more suds are remaining.  After the spinach is  clean then cut it or tear it in to tiny pieces.

However if you want to use frozen it is fine then you can skip this step.  I added 1 pinch each of fenugreek and cumin seeds and ground them in to a coarse powder. I mixed 1/4 cup of yogurt and added it to a bowl. I added 3 tbs of water and 1 pinch of cornstarch and mixed it very well and set it aside for later.

I added 1/4 cup of olive oil in a pot and put the stove on medium high heat. I cut one onion in to  half moon slices and added it to the pot. I added 1 pinch of pink salt and kept stirring until the onion is caramelized.

I added the ground cumin and fenugreek seeds I had freshly ground and I added 1 pinch each of Garam Masala, turmeric, and red chili powder.   I added 1 green chili chopped. It can be any green chili. I added 1 tomato  chopped  and cooked it down till it turns out to be mushy.

I added the spinach either fresh or frozen and stirred it making sure that it is incorparated in to the masala  mixture. I let it cook for  5 minutes. I added the yogurt mixture and mixed it very well. I added 1/4 cup of water and let it cook for another 5 minutes. I added 3 tbs of either lemon or  lime juice and stirred very well.  I took my homemade paneer and formed it in to marble size bites and added it in at the last minute  stirred gently and  turned the  burner off and put the top  on the pot and let it sit for 5 minutes before you serve.

Serve this  awesome dish with naan or chapati.