Description
Ingredients
- 24 ounces paneer cheese (or try our homemade Paneer, crispy tofu, or cooked cubes of chicken breast)
- 3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons ginger, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 -1 jalapeno (or use 1-2 serrano chillies,) roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin (ground or toasted whole seeds)
- 2 teaspoons coriander (ground or toasted whole seeds)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (optional, but good)
- 10-12 ounces frozen spinach (1 1/2 lbs fresh BABY spinach, see notes)
- 1 cup water or broth
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt or vegan coconut yogurt
- 1/2 cup cashews, raw if possible
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar or alternative
- squeeze lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Crisp the Paneer. In a large skillet, (a non-stick works great here) heat a few tablespoons oil or ghee and season the oil generously with salt and pepper. Pan-sear the paneer or crispy tofu until golden and crispy, and set it aside, covered with foil.
- Make the spinach sauce. Wipe out the skillet, heat 3 tablespoons ghee over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic and chilies, and sauté until deeply golden and fragrant, stirring often, about 15 minutes, taking your time here.
- Add the spices (coriander, cumin, garam masala and mustard seeds) and sauté 2-3 more minutes. Add the frozen spinach and a cup of water, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered until the spinach is just thawed.
- Blend. Place this in a blender (see notes), topping it with the yogurt and cashews. Add the salt and sugar. Blend well, until silky smooth. If the mixture is too dry to blend, add just enough water to get the motor going. Taste and adjust the heat by adding a little cayenne if you want a stronger kick. Add a squeeze of lemon for a tangier flavor. The sauce will seem slightly salty at first, but once you add the paneer, it will soak up the salt.
- Combine. Place the blended spinach sauce back into the pan, on medium-low heat, uncovered. (Covering may lose the lovely, vibrant color ). Warm it up gently and slowly, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the crispy paneer and continue cooking until the paneer is warmed through.
Serve over Fluffy Basmati Rice, with Naan Bread Quinoa or cauliflower rice.
Notes
Blending: If you like more “chunky sauce” rather than a smooth creamy spinach sauce , feel free to only blend half of the spinach mixture. If using whole spices, I prefer to blend all the sauce.
Make the flavorful spinach sauce and serve it over anything you like- perfect for mixed households where some want vegan, some want meat. It is tasty over roasted cauliflower, pan-seared chicken or fish, tofu, roasted veggies, etc. Get creative!
FRESH SPINACH: Use baby spinach; mature spinach may make it bitter. Make sure to separately (it may too much to manage in the onion pan) or in batches, and add it to the onion-garlic mixture. You need about 1 ½ -2 cups wilted.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: -with 4 ounces paneer in each serving.
- Calories: 331
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 444.3 mg
- Fat: 24.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.9 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 16.4 g
- Cholesterol: 19.2 mg



