Palak paneer with coconut - paneer spinach with coconut

I've mentioned in a previous post that for Hindus fasting can mean abstaining from specific food types or limiting oneself to eating only certain foods. In this vein, my mum would only eat spinach curry on Thursdays for years throughout my childhood.  I actually quite like spinach but in the winter months (pre air freighting of fruit and vegetables) she would resort to frozen spinach which would turn the dish into a gloopy, water-logged green mush.  It was not pleasant and I would rummage in the fridge for leftovers to fill my belly.

I have never quite overcome my aversion to frozen spinach but fresh spinach, cooked well is delicious.   This dish is very different to my previous recipe in that the spinach is finely chopped and cooked for some time to produce a rich green sauce.    The addition of coconut cream follows a conversation with my miraculous acupuncturist, Maureen, about a dish of palak paneer with coconut that she orders regularly from her local Indian restaurant.

If you do try it please let me know what you think.

Serves 2-3 people

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
• 1 small onion - very finely chopped
• 1 green chilli - very finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 5 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
• 1 small tomato - finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
• 130 grams paneer - chopped into 1cm cubes
• 100 grams spinach - very finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons coconut cream

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan.
2. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent and soft.
3. Now add the chilli, garlic and ginger to the pan.  Stir and cook for another minute or so.
4. Add the chopped tomato, salt, garam masala and coriander-cumin powder to the mixture.  Stir well.
5. Add the cubes of paneer and stir again.  Cook on a low heat for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the chopped spinach and coconut cream to the pan and stir well.  Place a lid on the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes or until the curry is hot.
7. Serve hot with chapatis.