The long way round is a kilo of spinach, a pan of boiling water, an ice bath and a blender. Ready made puree skips all four and keeps the colour, which is the part most home cooks lose. Twenty minutes at the hob and the pan does the rest.
Ingredients
- 1 tin KTC spinach puree (795g)
- 250g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
- 3 tbsp Amul pure ghee
- Half a tin of KTC chopped tomatoes (about 200g)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic and a thumb of ginger, crushed to a paste
- 2 green chillies, slit
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander powder, half a tsp of turmeric
- Half a tsp of garam masala and a pinch of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- Salt, 3 tbsp cream or yoghurt, and a squeeze of lemon
Method
- Warm 1 tbsp of the ghee in a frying pan and colour the paneer on two sides, about 2 minutes. Lift the cubes into a bowl of warm salted water so they stay soft.
- Add the rest of the ghee to the same pan with the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until golden.
- Stir in the ginger garlic paste and green chillies for a minute, then the turmeric and coriander powder, then the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until thick.
- Add the spinach puree and 100ml of water. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes so it reduces and loses any raw edge, then season with salt.
- Drain the paneer and fold it in with the cream or yoghurt. Warm through for 2 minutes without letting it boil.
- Finish with the garam masala, the fenugreek leaves crushed between your palms, and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with roti or jeera rice.
Cook's notes
Keep the heat low once the cream goes in, as a hard boil will split it and dull the green. For a vegan version, use oil in place of ghee, leave out the paneer and add a drained tin of chickpeas instead.
