Makhmali Palak Paneer A.K.A. Indian Cottage Cheese in creamy Spinach gravy

My darling Appa, a TamBrahm who has lived in Delhi for almost all of his adult life loves his Tamil cuisine but the cuisine that comes a close second would be North Indian A.K.A Punjabi cuisine. As this is Appa’s favorite Punju dish Amma used to make it so often that as kids my baby brother and I got fed up of having this dish :-).However as I grew up I started enjoying this dish but the thing that prompted me to learn how to make it and then of course tweak it was the fact that my dear hubby loves this dish too. Makhmali Palak Paneer is my take on the regular Palak Paneer and it has now become one of my go-to recipes as it has been tried, tasted and appreciated by family n friends and of course the 2 biggest lovers of this dish (my Appa n hubby :-)) . Sharing the recipe for Makhmali Palak Paneer which is guaranteed to win the hearts of your family and friends

Makhmali Palak Paneer

Ingredients

2 Tbsp – Oil

¾ cup chopped – Onions

½ inch piece finely chopped – Ginger

¾ cup chopped – Tomatoes

Salt to taste

¾ tsp – Red chilli powder

¾ tsp – Coriander powder

¾ tsp – Turmeric powder

1 ½ cup finely chopped and blanched – Spinach leaves

1 Tbsp finely chopped – Dill leaves

2 nos finely chopped – Green chillies

1 ½ Tbsp melted – Ghee

¼ cup – Milk

350 Gms cubed – Paneer

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and once oil is hot add the onions
2. Once onions are light brown in color add the ginger and mix well
3. After 3 mins add tomatoes, salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix well and then cover and cook on medium low flame for 5 mins
4. Remove cover and once onions and tomatoes are mushy add the spinach, green chillies and dill leaves and mix well
5. Cover and cook on medium low for 7 mins until spinach is mushy and soft
6. Once the spinach is cooked, add the ghee, milk, paneer pieces and mix well and cook on medium low for 5 – 7 mins
7. Check for seasonings and then once paneer is soft remove from flame
8. Serve hot with rotis / naans / rice

TIPS:

1. If using frozen chopped spinach, you can either thaw it in the microwave or add to the dish or you can add it once the onion and tomato mixture is done and add the milk and ghee and cover and cook on medium low flame. The moisture from the frozen spinach and milk will cook the dish and make it soft
2. To make a quick version of the dish – make the masala of onion, tomatoes & ginger and keep frozen. When you want to make the dish heat oil, add the frozen onion & tomato masala, frozen chopped spinach, milk, dill leaves, salt n seasonings and ghee and cover and cook on medium low. Once it is all defrosted and mushy add paneer and cook
3. You can also choose to blanch the spinach and blend into paste and add to the onion and tomato masala instead of the finely chopped spinach leaves

‘Achari Paneer’ A.K.A ‘Indian Cottage Cheese in Indian Pickling Spices’

Being a combo of Bong and Tamil cultures I was exposed to both these cuisines from my childhood days. However being born in Delhi brought another cuisine into my life which was the Dilli/Punjabi culture where the main ingredient of today’s recipe reigned supreme. I remember going to the market with Amma and buying it fresh from Singh uncle ki dukaan. This delicate item would be floating in a pool of water and Singh uncle would carefully take it out and weigh it and then give it to us in a polythene bag. One of the advantages of being a kid was that Singh uncle always gave me a cube or 2 of this delicacy sprinkled with salt and pepper to enjoy while Amma paid the bill. Every time I make any dish that features this ingredient I am transported to my childhood days. The recipe for ‘Achari Paneer’ A.K.A ‘Indian Cottage Cheese in Indian Pickling Spices’ is something that is part of repertoire as it is an easy recipe and is always a crowd pleaser so I hope you try it and enjoy the dish with family and friends.

Achaari Paneer

Ingredients

2 Tbsp – Oil

1 tsp – Paanch phoran

½ inch finely chopped – Ginger

½ cup finely chopped – Tomatoes

Salt to taste

¾ tsp – Red chilli powder

¾ tsp – Coriander powder

¾ tsp – Turmeric powder

¼ tsp – Bhuna jeera powder (roasted cumin seeds powder)

350 gms cubed – Paneer

5 Tbsp – Yogurt

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and when hot then add the paanch phoran
2. As soon as they crackle a bit add the ginger and mix well and then after 1 minute add the tomatoes.
3. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, bhuna jeera powder and cover the pan and reduce heat to medium
4. Uncover and stir the tomatoes making sure they are soft and mushy
5. Add the paneer and cover and cook on low flame for 5 mins (making sure the paneer don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn)
6. Uncover and add a little bit of water and then cover and cook for 5 mins
7. Remove the cover and add beater yogurt , check for salt and spices and cover and cook on low flame for another 5 minutes
8. Check for seasoning and to ensure paneer is soft and there is slight gravy
9. Remove from flame and serve with naans

TIPS:

1. You can fry the paneer cubes before adding them to the gravy.
2. You can soak the paneer in lukewarm salted warm to make them soft if the paneer is very hard
3. Paanch phoran is available in stores or you can make them at home by combining equal quantities of methi (fenugreek seeds), jeera (cumin seeds),sarson(black mustard seeds), saunf (fennel seeds), kalonji (onion seeds)

Jhatpat Paneer Bhurjee

Whenever I make ‘Jhatpat Paneer Bhurjee’, I am reminded of my Amma making this dish for my brother and I in the winter months so we could enjoy it with parathas. She would warm up the milk and add lemon juice to it, which would make it curdle immediately and she would strain it to get the paneer and then discard the whey. And as my brother was a fussy eater and never wanted to try anything new, mom would tell him that it was ‘Egg Bhurjee’ (scrambled eggs) and he gobbled it all up J. I am sharing the recipe for ‘Jhatpat Paneer Bhurjee’ A.K.A ‘ Quick & Easy Scramble Homemade Cheese’ and hope you all enjoy it as much as my brother and I.

Jhatpat Paneer Bhurjee

Ingredients

350 gms – Paneer

1 medium sized finely chopped – Onion

2 medium sized finely chopped– Tomatoes

2 nos chopped – Green chillies

4 sprigs of finely chopped – Cilantro

1 tsp – Cumin seeds

2 tbsp – Oil

1 tsp – Turmeric powder

1 tsp – Dry roasted cumin seeds powder

1/2 tsp – Dried pomegranate seed powder

1 tsp – Coriander powder

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add once it is hot add the cumin seeds
2. As soon as the cumin seeds splutter, add the finely chopped onions. Stir and cook till the onions are golden.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes , salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, dry roasted cumin seeds powder, dried pomegranate seeds powder and mix again.
4. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Reduce the heat and let the mixture cook for 5 -7 mins so that the tomatoes get soft and mushy and all the spices cook well.
5. While the onion and tomato mixture is cooking, grate the paneer using the coarse side of a box grater.
6. Uncover the pan and stir the tomato and onion mixture and then add the grated paneer and chopped green chillies to the pan.
7. Mix well and cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Uncover, check for salt and then if it tastes yummy then remove from flame and dish into serving bowl.
9. Sprinkle chopped cilantro / green chillies and serve with rotis, naans, parathas or toast. Enjoy J.

TIPS

1. This dish can be made using homemade paneer instead of the store bought one.
2. You can use the ‘Jhatpat Paneer Bhurjee’ as a filling in sandwiches and wraps.
3. The ‘Jhatpat Paneer Bhurjee’ makes a nutritional snack for kids as well as well as it is high in protein.