Recently we entertained our lovely neighbours across the street; it was a thank you dinner of sorts because they happened to rescue us on my benchmark birthday party this past summer when we ran out of beer! We asked them what kinds of food they enjoy and Indian was one of the selections. I love cooking Indian food but because there are just the two of us I usually don’t bother but doubling the audience makes it all the more worth-while. It was an extravagant meal so I started cooking a couple of days in advance and it really didn’t seem to be that much trouble; the saucy, stewy dishes of India lend themselves to being made ahead and allowing the flavours to combine over time making them taste so much better than the day they were made. I was very pleased with the results and will definitely make these dishes again in the future.
I also would like to thank Helene DeSouza (Masala Herb) for posting her favourite Palek Paneer recipe this month, if it wasn’t for her I likely would never have made this dish having tasted a restaurant version that was unremarkable. Helene’s recipe has the complex depth of flavours that one expects from Indian food. I urge you to try it.
The menu:
- Onion Bhajis (I made this one again and it was extremely tasty) with Tamarind Chutney (recipe to come)
- Beef Bhuna (please click here for the recipe)
- Butter Chicken (please click here for the recipe) NOTE: I used 1 lb fresh roma tomatoes and 2 cups of home made tomato sauce made from raw tomatoes cooked down and blended until smooth WITH oven roasted tomatoes blended and the whole thing run through a very fine sieve to get rid of the skin and seeds).
- Palek Paneer (The Palek (spinach) gravy is new from Helene DeSouza who runs Masala Herb in Goya, India; recipe below)
- Naan (please click here for the recipe) and Papadums (I bought some very special Papadums in Chicago when we visited with Chgo John of From the Bartolini Kitchens)
- Chai Crême Brûlée (please click here for the recipe)
Paneer
This firm, unripened Indian cheese makes a rectangle 23 cm x 13 cm x 2 cm (9″ x 5″ x 3/4″).
This is the original recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 liter Fresh whole milk
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
- Heat the milk in a deep and heavy bottom pan at medium heat (this is really important, so the milk doesn’t burn). Allow it come to a gentle boil (around 200 F) and stay there for a minute. Make sure the milk is not vigorously boiling, if it does, immediately reduce the heat and bring the milk back to gentle boil.
- Begin by adding the lemon juice a table spoon at a time, stirring gently to incorporate. With each addition you will notice that the milk separating. The final addition of lemon juice will separate the curds from the whey very obviously. Switch off the gas immediately or if you are cooking on electric, remove pan from the element to stop the heat.
- Line a sieve with double layered cheesecloth, making sure the cheesecloth is long enough to be bundled up and tied later. Pour the curd and whey through the cheese cloth. Set the whey aside or discard (I tried making ricotta from this whey but there was no more curd to be had. I understand that Whey is healthy so you can search the net to find uses, I did not and trashed it).
- Wash the curd in the cheese cloth, by running it through cold water to remove the lemon taste.
- Tie up the cheesecloth in a tight bundle and hang it over something to allow it to drain for about 30 minutes.
- Line a nice rectangular pan with a double folded cheese cloth making sure you have enough length and width to fold over the top. Add the curd to the pan, pressing it firmly into the pan. I didn’t press my corners and edges well enough and they were a bit crumbly. I used a small glass to help push the curd down and compress it. Place the wrapped cheese between two cutting boards over a sink or a large pan and put a heavy pot on top for 1-2 hours.You don’t want to add too much weight for too long as it can drain out way too much moisture from the cheese making it hard and crumbly. Your cheese should have a slightly elastic texture so when you lightly press your finger into it, it will bounce back.
- Wrap it and store it in the fridge for up to a week or cover well with plastic wrap and freeze. Defrost entirely before use. If you find your cheese still is a bit too wet, you can store it LIGHTLY wrapped in the fridge and the chill will dehydrate it further (I did not have to).
- Cut the block into small one bite chunks and add to the Palek sauce to warm up. Be very gentle when stirring as to not crumble the cheese too much.
Palek Paneer (Spinach Gravy with Unripened Cheese Cubes)
Please click here to see Helene’s lovely recipe.
Ingredients:
- 250 g baby spinach (or a standard large size bag)
- 1 green Chili
- 100 mL water
- 1 small Onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- pinch Cinnamon powder
- ½ tbsp Garam Masala
- ½ tbsp red Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- splash of lemon juice
- 2 tbsp cream
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 200 grams fresh Paneer bite size cubes (Indian Cottage Cheese)
- cilantro and green onions to garnish.
Directions:
- Wash spinach well and if you’re not using baby spinach, remove all the hard stems.
- Blanch the spinach in 100 mL water, set aside.
- In 2 tbsp oil, fry the onions until caramelized. Add the garlic paste and stir for a moment. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, Garam Masala and chili powder and allow to develop their aroma. As soon as you smell the herbs, remove from heat. Add the tomato past and combine with the blanched spinach.
- Purée with an emersion blender until very smooth, add a splash of lemon juice to brighten the flavours. Press through a fine seive.
- At this point you may put the finely puréed spinach mixture into a container and store in the fridge for a day or two.
- When you are ready to serve, reheat slowly in a pot, and add the two tablespoons of cream, salt and pepper. Add the Paneer and stir very gently so that the paneer does not break apart. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and green onions.
[…] Previous Posts about Indian Food: Palek Paneer […]
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[…] you’ve ever tried. The tamarind paste was used as a sauce for the onion bhajis I made for the recent Indian feast for our […]
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I love that you made your own paneer for this dish! You are so talented!
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Thank you Amber, it wasn’t difficult, you should try it.
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What a lovely meal….I’m sure your guests loved the meal.
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Oh, boy, you went all out! I’m sure your neighbors were thrilled with your dinner! I think they’ll be happy to lend you beer anytime you ask 🙂
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Thank you kindly Liz, it was a great dinner party.
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My goodness, I think your neighbor must be hoping they can loan you some beer again! What an incredible feast, this sort of evening is a lot of work with so many recipes. It’s good to know you can make some of them ahead of time, that’s something I always want to do and am never too certain whether it can be done. It’s the best way to go so that you actually get to relax and enjoy the dinner party too!
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Thank you so much Barbara, I find many saucy recipes are better the next day but you’re right, you have to know which ones can handle the reheating. I usually add the finishing touches upon reheating, such as cream or butter.
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Hi Eva, way back in the day before I’d ever had “real” paneer, the Indian restaurants in France often used laughing cow cheese triangles as a replacement for the cheese in cheese naans and palak paneer. At the time I thought it was pretty good. It was naturally a shock when I tried real paneer, although I do really like palak paneer… it’s got a lovely mild flavour and goes so well with something like a shrimp korma-style curry! :D. Love the look of yours… very pretty!
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I can see how that laughing cow cheese would be delicious but not quite authentic! I suspect it would make the dish MUCH richer too. I used to use firm tofu instead of home made paneer because I didn’t know that you can buy ready made paneer in Indian grocery stores. It was a similar texture but not taste. What I love about the home made paneer is the flavour. And yes, I totally agree that the the palak paneer would go very well with shrimp korma. Thank you for your lovely and kind words Charles, I really appreciate your comments.
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i have never had paneer but I soooo want to! I need to change that with your dish. It looks fabulous and so flavorful
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It’s a lovely texture and it’s a blast to make ‘cheese’ at home! I do hope you try it Jessica.
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What an elaborate feast. Yes, it is always a pleasure to cook for someone who enjoys and appreciate the dishes prepared. Lucky neighbours.
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Thanks so much Norma.
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Eva, if you ask me one day what food I like, I will say “Indian” without any hesitation. The menu sounds like a real feast and the paneer dish looks exceptionally good too.
I also rarely cook Indian because it always takes time and moreover I am always a bit angry to check every single spice I need…. Cooking the same recipe for the tenth time but still with a book is sometimes annoying (and I did realise that “Indian-inspired” is not the same as real Indian…). I often don’t have the patience. I must however admit that once you prepare an Indian dish, it is usually better every time you reheat it, so perfect for guests!
You gave me appetite for Indian food now!
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Thank you for your kind words Sissi; I know I don’t really know you well but I believe you have the perseverance to cook what ever you desire but like anything practice makes perfect and the more you cook Indian the easier it would become. I feel the same way about the Japanese dishes you cook, I just don’t have the ingredients but one of these days I will buckle down and buy them. I’m really thinking about the ribs that Barb (Profiteroles and Ponytails) cooked from your blog…
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Eva, you are so kind and generous… I lack patience and am lazy, but such beautiful dishes as yours always remind me I should cook Indian more often (I definitely do it more often when it’s cold and when I have guests: I only reheat dishes instead of staying for hours in the kitchen while they are here).
Japanese cuisine is much quicker, but you need several basic ingredients and their names sound scary at the beginning and vary a lot in quality (please tell me before you go to Japanese grocery shop I’ll try to help you with the most important items).
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What a wonderful Indian feast and I can’t think of a better way to say thank you to someone 😀
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I’m sure that Mike, Mr. N and I would love this dish. We’ve really been getting into Indian food lately. I’ve made a few dishes at home and we’ve found a few restaurants we’ve been enjoying too. Your meal sounds so much more elaborate than anything I’ve attempted. I’ll have to give this one a try though. 🙂
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This is quite the dinner you prepared, Eva. Knowing your skill in the kitchen, I’m sure each dish was delicious. In fact, I bet your other neighbors are all jealous, thinking that they had plenty of beer that they would have shared, too. 🙂 I’m so glad that you put the Papadums to such great use, too. The next time you come into town, we must go to Eataly, a new Italian market opening on Monday, owned by Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich. It has everything Italian that you could possibly want to buy and a few eateries, too. They’ve even a Nutella Bar! I cannot wait to get in there.
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Hi John, thank you for your generous and lovely words, I do appreciate them and love to read your comments! JT and I went to Eataly in Manhattan (across from the Flat Iron building) and it was amazing. I can hardly wait to see the one in Chicago, I know your going to love it. The selection is right out of a gourmet shop in Italy!
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Adding fuel to the “Our City is Better” feud, our Eataly will have 20,000 more square footage and can sell wine. Apparently, you cannot buy spirits where food is sold in NYC. Ha!
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Love it! You’ve got my vote!
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Perfectly turned palak paneer I must say! You are a gourmet Indian cook 🙂
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Paneer dishes are among my favourite items in Indian cuisine. I usually make mutter paneer but one of these days I must try palek. And congratulations on the beautiful home made paneer. I’m not much of a pickle person so I don’t usually make/eat them with my meals. The beef bhuna is another dish that I must try. So many great dishes, so few meal slots available to try them out.
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What a great meal. You certainly repaid the favour! This was a feast to be savoured for sure. I love the look of your palek paneer xx
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Thanks Charlie, it’s always such a pleasure to cook for people who really enjoy the meal. I loved the palek paneer and that recipe will surely be a staple in my Indian repertoire.
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What a meal! Ask me for some beer??
I’d hop on one foot for ten minutes for an onion bhaji right now. 🙂
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Thanks Maureen, I’d give you an onion bhaji without you having to do any acrobatics! I wanted to serve King Fisher Beer but we weren’t able to find it this time!
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The paneer have turned out beautiful, Eva.
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Thank you very much Angie, I was much happier with this result than my first, but then again, practice makes perfect!
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I’m extremely impressed! Your pictures made me want to make the paneer myself!
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Thanks so much, the paneer is really about technique because the ingredients are really quite simple. Hope you let me know how yours turns out.
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