Spinach Paneer

This classic Indian dish is one of my absolute favorite foods. Once you have the cheese on hand, this is quick and easy to make. I also like that it has relatively few ingredients. This also seems to satisfy pizza cravings, with much less guilt.

Stats

Cost to make: Relative. Between 4 and 7 dollars.
Portions: 2-4, as many as 6 if it's not the main course.
Pain-in-the-Ass Factor: Minor
How long until dinner: 30 minutes 

Notes

Make sure you use high quality garlic, as fresh as you can find it. Try to avoid using cloves that have sprouted. Normally I try to salvage them anyway, but not in this case.

You could certainly use fresh spinach, if you are more motivated than I am. Why bother when you can get good frozen spinach that's already been chopped? I also like that I can keep frozen spinach in the freezer for a while and make this dish when the produce starts to run thin before our next grocery trip.

Don't substitute ground spices. The flavor is largely dependent on the complexity that comes from the whole seeds.

Down to Business

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (about 12-14 cloves)
1 1/2 pounds frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained if it's in block form)
salt to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 recipe of paneer


Pour a thin layer of vegetable oil in a small non-stick pan. Brown each paneer cube on each side. These are best when they are fresh, so only fry as much as you will eat that day. Set the cheese aside.

In a dutch oven or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and fry for about 45 seconds, or until they begin to change color and become fragrant. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. 

Add the spinach cook on medium-low until heated through, salt about half way through. Finish with lemon juice and cream. Add the cheese cubes and serve with rice or flat bread.

Price Breakdown

I buy most of my spices from a little Indian grocery store. I don't notice any sacrifice in quality and they come at a fraction of the price. They don't come in little glass bottles, but you get a larger amount and many of them cost between 1 and 3 dollars. I find good deals on frozen spinach from time to time, as well, since it is a staple in Indian cooking. It may help to find out what the Indian names are for the ingredients you need, as they aren't always labelled in English. Usually the clerk knows what I'm talking about, though.