Saag Paneer Recipe - How To Cook Saag Paneer Recipe :
A Brief Note On Saag Paneer Recipe :
Saag Paneer recipe is an authentic dish from the North Indian cuisine consisting of fried paneer, palak, fenugreek leaves and coconut milk or fresh cream.
Saag Paneer recipe is one of the popular side dishes for roti, naan and basmathi rice. The combination of palak, fenugreek and paneer with coconut milk gives an awesome taste and flavour which are irresistible.
Saag Paneer's Richness :
Fresh spinach always gives a softy texture that adds to the lush look of the dish and paneer of course is a rich protein supplement liked by many. The fried panner in this dish is crispy on the outside and tender inside. When it is tossed over a layer of green palak paste and spices, the taste reaches the next level.
Onion and garlic are always inseparable as they give a combined flavour. And in saag paneer you can relish this taste in full form. It is popular in all Indian restaurants especially the North India. It goes well with plain roti, butter naan, tandoori roti, rumali roti and basmathi rice.
This classic Indian curry reaches its perfect goodness when it is stewed with fresh coconut milk. You will feel glorified when you just give a bite of paneer dipped in the green gravy.
Saag Paneer vs Palak Paneer :
Though both sound similar, there is a subtle difference between both of them. Palak paneer is exclusively made of `spinach` whereas, `saag paneer` can mean any variety of green like spinach, fenugreek, kale etc. Any green can be used as a base for saag paneer and another speciality of this dish is that more than one green can be used to prepare this. For example, here I have used two greens to prepare this dish (palak and fenugreek leaves).
During rainy season you get fresh greens in abundant so you can find this dish commonly in any Indian household in winter. It is really awesome to take this along with fresh hot rotis with a cup of `masala chai`.
Let us see the method of preparing this saag paneer in Indian style.
Ingredients Required To Cook Saag Paneer Recipe :
How To Cook Saag Paneer Recipe :
Wash and clean all the greens and chop them.
Wash the vegetables cut into fine pieces and keep aside.
Heat a skillet (kadai) and pour a little water and boil the greens along with a green chilli for two to three minutes with a pinch of turmeric and half a spoon sugar to retain the lush green colour of the leaves.
Let it cook in medium flame and do not cover the skillet.
After 3-4 minutes remove the skillet from the stove and transfer the greens to a plate after straining the excess water.
Collect the water in a small cup and keep it aside.
When the greens cool down, put them in a mixer jar and grind into a fine paste.
Take the cooking plate from the grill and cover it up with a layer of aluminium foil and tuck it up on all sides.
Smear a layer of butter over the foil and arrange the paneer cubes one by one and again smear a layer of butter on top and set the grill for 10 minutes and close it.
You can just open the grill in between and check whether it has been roasted.
After ten minutes you can see the crispy golden brown colour over the paneer cubes.
If you feel that they need to be roasted still, you set it in the grill again for five more minutes.
Now the paneer is ready for cooking.
This is my way of frying the paneer cubes. You can also cook them in the skillet directly by frying them using a little oil.
Heat the skillet in the stove, and pour a little cooking oil in it
Once it is heated, adjust the flame to medium mode and add a teaspoon of mustard seeds and cumin seeds to it.
When it splutters add the minced garlic and when the flavour comes out of it, add the chopped onion to it and mix well.
When it becomes translucent, add the mashed tomato, ginger and red chilli to it.
Then add a pinch of turmeric, garam masala and a pinch of hing and sauté it.
Finally add the required salt and mix well.
At this stage add the green paste to the skillet and pour the borth taken from the greens earlier.
Let it continue to cook in medium flame for a fe more minutes.
After five minutes add the paneer cubes one by one and stir well.
Allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes and simmer the stove.
At last, add a small cup of fresh coconut milk and mix well and turn off the stove.
Now the flavourful saag paneer is ready to eat.
Serve it with hot naan rotis or rice and dhal fry along with a glass of `chass`(buttermilk).
Ingredients
Directions
Wash and clean all the greens and chop them.
Wash the vegetables cut into fine pieces and keep aside.
Heat a skillet (kadai) and pour a little water and boil the greens along with a green chilli for two to three minutes with a pinch of turmeric and half a spoon sugar to retain the lush green colour of the leaves.
Let it cook in medium flame and do not cover the skillet.
After 3-4 minutes remove the skillet from the stove and transfer the greens to a plate after straining the excess water.
Collect the water in a small cup and keep it aside.
When the greens cool down, put them in a mixer jar and grind into a fine paste.
Take the cooking plate from the grill and cover it up with a layer of aluminium foil and tuck it up on all sides.
Smear a layer of butter over the foil and arrange the paneer cubes one by one and again smear a layer of butter on top and set the grill for 10 minutes and close it.
You can just open the grill in between and check whether it has been roasted.
After ten minutes you can see the crispy golden brown colour over the paneer cubes.
If you feel that they need to be roasted still, you set it in the grill again for five more minutes.
Now the paneer is ready for cooking.
This is my way of frying the paneer cubes. You can also cook them in the skillet directly by frying them using a little oil.
Heat the skillet in the stove, and pour a little cooking oil in it
Once it is heated, adjust the flame to medium mode and add a teaspoon of mustard seeds and cumin seeds to it.
When it splutters add the minced garlic and when the flavour comes out of it, add the chopped onion to it and mix well.
When it becomes translucent, add the mashed tomato, ginger and red chilli to it.
Then add a pinch of turmeric, garam masala and a pinch of hing and sauté it.
Finally add the required salt and mix well.
At this stage add the green paste to the skillet and pour the borth taken from the greens earlier.
Let it continue to cook in medium flame for a fe more minutes.
After five minutes add the paneer cubes one by one and stir well.
Allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes and simmer the stove.
At last, add a small cup of fresh coconut milk and mix well and turn off the stove.
Now the flavourful saag paneer is ready to eat.
Serve it with hot naan rotis or rice and dhal fry along with a glass of `chass`(buttermilk).
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