Creamy Palak Paneer (Cottage Cheese in Creamy Spinach Gravy)

The part of the country where I come from palak or spinach is not common. So it wouldn't be hard to believe when I say, this is my first attempt at this very popular North Indian delicacy; not that I haven't had the dish before, just that I haven't cooked it till now despite of it being one of my favorite dishes!

My refrigerator is often loaded with different cheese varieties, because I admire cheeses and love to experiment quite a lot. I enjoy very few vegetables and thankfully spinach is among them. So since I had both the main ingredients for this dish, I thought of making it today.

Usually my maid makes decent palak paneer, however, I wanted mine to taste a little different and hence I browsed and bumped into this recipe; coming from the master chef himself, it did not give me any reason to not try this one. So, the recipe below is adapted from here but with a simple twist of my own.

Time spent was mere 10-15 minutes and the outcome was totally exhilarating! 

Ingredients:

Spinach - 1 loose bunch, stems removed, blanched in salted boiling water, refreshed in chilled water, drained

Paneer - 250 grams, cut in cubes and slightly pan roasted in a teaspoon of butter

Green chilies - 3, chopped

Garlic - 6 cloves, crushed

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Lemon juice - 1/2 tablespoon

Fresh cream - 2 tablespoon

Oil - 2 tablespoon

Salt to taste 

Preparation:

1. In a mixer, puree together the spinach and green chilies. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds. To this add crushed garlic and saute for a couple of minutes, taking enough care not to burn it.

3. Add the spinach puree and salt to taste. Add water, if needed and bring it to boil. Add the roasted paneer pieces, followed by lemon juice and let it simmer for another 3-5 minutes.

4. When done, stir in the fresh cream, mix well, heat through and remove from heat. 

5. Serve with roti, naan or plain steamed rice.