Palak Paneer

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 liters of milk
• 6 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 200 g onion(s), finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin, whole
• 4 tomatoes, finely chopped
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 350 g spinach, finely chopped
• 50 ml cream
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 cm ginger root, fresh, cut into strips

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 55 minutes

Recipe from an Indian woman, spinach with Indian cream cheese

Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in lemon juice or vinegar. The milk will curdle. If it doesn’t, continue adding lemon juice or vinegar and boil until the milk curdles. Then remove the pan from the heat. Line a sieve with a muslin cloth (I always use those fine-mesh, thin blue and white dishcloths or all-purpose cloths; a fresh cloth diaper would also do). Pour in the curdled milk and let it drain for 2-3 minutes. Tie the cloth with the resulting cream cheese (“paneer”), remove it from the sieve, squeeze out a little more of the liquid by hand, and place it on a flat plate. Weigh it down with a pot filled with water for about 2 hours. Then remove the paneer and cut it into approximately 2 cm cubes. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, add the onions and cumin, and fry until golden brown, stirring. Add most of the tomatoes (reserve a little for garnish), stir, and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with chili, turmeric, and salt. Add the spinach, paneer pieces, and cream, and stir gently (be careful not to let the paneer pieces fall apart). Cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Finally, add the coriander, garam masala, and ginger strips, and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve on plates and garnish with the remaining diced tomatoes. Serve with basmati rice or bread, such as Indian flatbread (paratha).