From the Cow

The Spinach Shines

Can you imagine spinach so creamy without a hint of cream? Take a look at this and you’ll see the creamiest, smoothest, greenest spinach you’ll ever put your eyes on — at least today. This is the Indian dish called Palak Paneer.

I made the Paneer (Indian Cheese) last night, cut it up and posted the photos and information here and knew that I was going to dine on the spinach goodness of Palak Paneer tonight.

I used Manisha, of Indian Food Rocks’ recipe for tonight’s dish. I used 1 tablespoon of oil for the spinach and pan fried the cheese with a few pumps of olive oil spray until golden brown. I’m linking to the recipe here because I want to give credit where credit’s due. I chose the recipe because of how vibrant and verdant it looked and I really can’t claim to have adapted this simple recipe.

It was the first time I made it, so I decided to follow it to the letter. Manisha says it’s not about adding flavors, that it’s about the ginger and lemon and while I was yearning for onion and garlic, I decided to stay true to the recipe — a feat for me. I’m happy I did. The ginger shone through and I added a little more lemon because my cheese wasn’t quite tart enough, but it’s one of those things you can taste as you go.

Key to the recipe for me was taking it off the stove as soon as the spinach was wilted and letting it whirl around in the VitaMix until it was silky smooth. I considered shocking the spinach in an ice water bath, but the recipe didn’t direct me to take that step and as you can see, it wasn’t necessary. Often, I’ll shock a green vegetable like green beans after cooking to retain that incredible green color, but that wasn’t an issue here. It took less than a minute to get to this consistency and while I could have let it spin in the blender until it became serving hot again, I put it back in the pot to simmer for just a few mintes before adding a few cubes of Paneer and serving as the recipe directed.

I can’t wait to hear what my Bangalore friends have to say about this effort. I’m sure it’s a surprise to all that I have this thing about cooking. In a year in India, I never allowed my cooking habit show. and that if I added up all the posts in my various blogs these past 4 years, Indian food appears most often. I’m happy to add another untried dish to my repertoire.

This Palak Paneer will cost you a Weight Watchers Points Plus value of 9 with the following breakdown:

Fat 27 g
Protein 21 g
Fiber 4 g
Carbs 7 g

Indian Paneer Recipe

MAKING PANEER

Making Paneer is so easy you can make it before heading to bed. I had 4 cups of whole milk in the fridge, knew I’d never drink it and had it in my mind that I wanted to make cheese. I’m just not the milk-drinking type and I couldn’t let it go, so that Paneer recipe I’ve been thinking about making turned into reality about an hour before bed time.

I love that I can create something from start to finish in my own kitchen and in such a short period of time.

I found countless paneer recipes online and while the results are good, it’s not knock your socks off. I’d like it to be more tart, like Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco. Next time I am going to either up the yogurt or the lemon or possibly both. And it definitely needs more salt — and that’s coming from someone who usually under salts everything.

I’m going to make it again and will post the recipe for you so that you know how to make it with just the right flavor profile. But this isn’t the last you’ll see of this first edition Paneer from my kitchen.

My love of Indian food usually results in very basic offerings from my kitchen, some of which you’ve seen on my other blog — FRANtasticFood — Butter Chicken, Rogan Josh, Dosa, Peas Pilau and Chicken Tikka Masala, to name a few. I am going to step outside of that comfort zone and make Palak Paneer tomorrow night and show you just what this cheese can do. Thanks to a wonderful blogger I’ve been following for a very long time — Manisha of Indian Food Rocks — I’m going to try her Palak Paneer recipe. Have you ever seen anything so green and slurp-worthy come to your table? I can’t wait to dive into the recipe.

In the meantime, take a look at these photos of my last minute, late night foray into cheese-making below:

Bring the milk to a boil, stirring constantly

Add yogurt and lemon and stir until the curds and whey separate

Rinse and drain for 20 minutes and then wring and drain for 30

When it’s been drained twice, press under a heavy cast iron pan or other heavy object and then unwrap and refrigerate or — eat!

Next up … Palak Paneer. I’ll post the nutritional details with the recipe, but for now, know that Paneer will cost you a Weight Watchers Points Plus value of 3 points per ounce. I used whole milk, but some make it with skim, so you can count on me trying a reduced fat version next. Why waste points or calories if you don’t have to, right?

Have you ever made cheese?

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A Right Recipe for Palak Paneer

The Spinach Shines

Indian Paneer Recipe

MAKING PANEER