Scraping the Skillet

The last time we were up in Portland (Oregon) we made a point of stopping into Powell’s City of Books on our way out of town. For those who have not experienced this amazing place, Powell’s is a new and used bookstore. It is not just any book store, though. The main location of Powell’s takes up a full city block and is a whopping 68,000 square feet. Are you looking for a rare or out of print book? Check Powell’s. If they don’t have it in stock, they can probably find a copy for you.

Anyway, because of the potential for book overload, we tend to limit ourselves to one or two sections of the store when we visit. On this particular trip we picked the cooking and food section. We acquired several used cookbooks that day, one of which was Classic Indian Vegetarian & Grain Cooking, by Julie Sahni. D actually pulled it off the shelf and we were both immediately excited.

We LOVE Indian food and, like many of our other favorite types of food, have not found a satisfactory representation in Tucson. Of course, in a twisted way, this is good because it forces us to attempt to make all of our favorite “ethnic” foods at home.

D picked out the first recipe and, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that he picked Saag Paneer. You see, I’ve never been a huge fan of this dish. I love spinach, but not usually when it is cooked into a brown paste. Of course, D picked this because of the spinach – he was thinking I would be extra excited!

Let me tell you, homemade Saag Paneer is NOTHING like what you get at a restaurant or in a vacuum sealed package at the store. The flavor is amazingly fresh and it is actually GREEN (not brown). I highly recommend giving this simple and delicious dish a try – even if you don’t usually like Saag Paneer.

Saag Paneer

• 8 c whole milk
• 3 T lemon juice
• cheesecloth
• 2 c cooked spinach
• 1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
• 6-8 T vegetable oil
• 1/3 c AP flour for dusting
• 1 1/2 c onion, finely chopped
• 1 T fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 4 hot green chilies, minced
• 1/2 c water
• 1 t salt
• 2 red peppers, cut in 1 inch wide strips
• 2 t garam masala spice mixture*

Begin by making the Paneer:

Set up a colander lined with 4 layers of cheesecloth in your sink. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Reduce the heat, so as not to scorch the milk, and keep at a gentle rolling boil. Add 3 T lemon juice. As soon as the milk curdles turn off the heat.

Pour the cheese and liquid into the lined colander. Run cold water through the cheese to wash away excess lemon juice. Tie together the four corners of the cheese cloth. Gently twist and squeeze to extract as much water as possible, then hang the cheese to drain for an hour. At this point you will have a crumbly cheese called chenna. In the picture you can see that D crumbled some chenna on top of the dish before serving.

To make paneer, place the wrapped chenna on a baking sheet and weight it down with a heavy object, such as a large pot filled with water. Let the cheese press for 30 minutes. When the cheese has firmed, remove it and cut into small (1/2″) cubes. Keep the cheese immersed in a bowl of water until you use it – it will keep well for up to four days in the refrigerator.

Once you have the cheese:

Lay the paneer in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and let dry for 10 minutes.

Puree the spinach and green pepper together in a food processor or blender.

Heat 4 T of oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Dust the paneer pieces with flour and add them in a single layer to the pan. Fry them in batches, turning and tossing them for about 2-3 minutes per batch. Set the paneer aside.

Add 2 T of oil to the same pan and sautee the onion until browned. Add the ginger and cook and additional 2 minutes. Add the turmeric and green chiles, stir for a few seconds, and then add the spinach puree and 1/2 c of water, salt and red peppers. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the fried paneer pieces and cook 2 more minutes. Finally, stir in the garam masala.

Enjoy over rice – or by itself. Mmmmm…spinach…

*garam masala: A mixture of cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, bay leaves and mace. You can usually find this spice mixture in the store, or you can create your own by following this recipe.