Palak Paneer - Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

Know What you eat: We all know it's a high iron, protein & calcium-rich dish, apart from that relationship between risk of prostate cancer and vegetable intake-including the vegetables spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, turnip greens, collards, and kale-only spinach showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer. However, we know that certain unique anti-cancer carotenoids-called epoxyxanthophylls-are plentiful in spinach. So What should be the healthiest way of cooking spinach?? Scroll down. Check Dal Makhani as a side dish, goes well this.

Ingredients:
2 Bunches Spinach (washed, fresh)
200 gm Homemade/store bought Paneer (Indian cheese)

For Gravy:
1 tbsp oil
1 large onions
1 large tomato
1/2" Ginger
 6 Cloves Garlic
3 Green chillies

Condiments:
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves powder (Kasoori methi)
1 pinch turmeric
1 tsp red chilly powder
3 piece cloves
3"stick cinnamon
2 pinches of cardamom powder
1 tsp Sugar (optional)
3 tbsp oil
1/2 C Half& Half/ whole milk / 1 Tbsp heavy cream
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Clean and wash spinach and immerse in boiling water for 2 min, let it cool and blend it in a blender.Keep aside.
2. On the other side, heat oil in a deep pan, add cloves, cinnamon stick, then add onions and fry until golden brown. Remove cinnamon stick at this point.
3. Add ginger garlic, tomato, turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander-cumin powder, crush kasoori(dry fenugreek leaves) between your palms and add. Mix it well. Let it cool and blend this the blender too for that silky, creamy texture.
4. Add spinach gravy, that you kept aside and cook till you see the oil oozes out.
5. Cut paneer into desirable pieces, add to the gravy and simmer in for few mins.
6. Once done top with half& half/heavy cream (optional).

The Healthiest Way of Cooking Spinach
Spinach is only one of three vegetables we recommend boiling to free up acids and allow them to leach into the boiling water; this brings out a sweeter taste from the spinach. Discard the boiling water after cooking; do not drink it or use it for stock because of its acid content.

Use a large pot (3 quarts) with lots of water and bring to a rapid boil. Add spinach to the boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Begin timing as soon as you place the spinach in the pot if you are using 1 pound or less of spinach. If you are cooking larger quantities of spinach bring the water back to a boil before beginning timing the 1 minute. Do not cover the pot when cooking spinach. Leaving the pot uncovered helps to release more of the acids with the rising steam. Research has shown that the boiling of spinach in large amounts of water helps decrease the oxalic acid content by as much as 50%.
Remove spinach from the pot, press out liquid with a fork, and use it for gravy or as desirable.

Posted in: gravies,Indian,kidfriendly,palak paneer,veggie