This saag paneer recipe is a little less spicy than traditional Indian saag paneer, and uses easy-to-find ingredients. Traditional saag paneer is absolutely fantastic, but it's sometimes a little spicy for traditional American palates. As a result, we've created this easy saag paneer recipe that turns down the heat a little and uses a lot of spices you can probably find in your spice cabinet. It’s likely to become a family favorite!
15 minutes
30 minutes
5
INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE AT CULTURES FOR HEALTH
Paneer & Queso Blanco Cheese Making Kit
Paneer & Queso Blanco Cheese Making Kit
$23.99
Make mild traditional Indian paneer and crumbly Mexican queso blanco with this kit. A perfect introduction to making cheese at home. Just add milk!
Packaging and Equipment in the kit may appear different than pictured.
Heirloom Yogurt Starter Cultures
Heirloom Yogurt Starter Culture
$17.99
Our Heirloom Yogurt Starter Variety Pack is perfect for beginners! It doesn't require the use of a yogurt maker and can culture right on your countertop - just add milk.
For this variety pack, we’ve carefully collected four of our favorite Scandinavian yogurt strains - simple, rich, drinkable Piima; mild, creamy Viili; honey-scented Matsoni, and tangy Filmjölk.
This saag paneer uses of an easy to make fresh cheese called paneer. This can also be called queso blanco, and cheese making doesn't get much easier than this. It's a great introduction to cheese making and the resulting easy saag panner will be an instant hit. You can get a paneer making kit here.
SAAG PANEER INGREDIENTS:
- 1-2 Tbsp. homemade curry powder (ingredients and steps below)
- 1/3 cup ghee
- 8-12 ounces freshly made paneer
- 1 large onion, chopped fine
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced fine
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained to remove excess liquid, or 2 pounds fresh baby spinach, chopped, lightly steamed, and drained well
- 1 cup thick homemade yogurt
- Cooked basmati rice
- 2 Tbsp. coriander seeds (for curry powder)
- 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds (for curry powder)
- 1 Tbsp. cardamom seeds (for curry powder)
- 1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns (for curry powder)
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds (for curry powder)
- 4 whole cloves (for curry powder)
- 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds (for curry powder)
- 2 dried red chilies (omit for a milder curry powder)
- 1 Tbsp. 1 tablespoon powdered turmeric (for curry powder)
SAAG PANEER RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Make curry powder. (steps 2-4 below) A custom curry powder is a standard ingredient in many Indian households, and this mix is a good start to blending your own curry powder.
- Add the spices (not the chilies) to a dry skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, but not browned.
- Remove from heat and cool. Stir in the chilies if using, broken into pieces with seeds discarded. Place mixture in a coffee or spice grinder and blend until powdered.
- Stir in turmeric. This will be a custom curry powder that you can use for this saag paneer recipe and store in your cabinet as a replacement for store bought curry powders in many other recipes.
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Melt ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut paneer into ½-inch cubes and sauté in hot ghee until golden brown on each side. Turn the pieces of paneer carefully to avoid having scrambled paneer. Remove paneer from skillet, drain on a paper towel and set aside. Leave remaining ghee in skillet.
- Add onions, garlic, and ginger to ghee in skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are tender. Place in blender container and blend to a paste-like consistency. Put back into skillet and stir in 1-2 tablespoons curry powder, to taste.
- Add spinach to spice paste and gently heat over medium heat until hot. Stir in reserved paneer. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Serve over hot basmati rice.
Use immediately or store in a tightly covered jar for up to 1 month. Check out also our fromage blanc recipe.
