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1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, toss in the spinach and blanch for 1 minute until very tender.
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2
Dump the spinach into a colander and press firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much water as possible, set aside.
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3
Heat the ghee in a deep skillet over medium-high flame.
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4
Add the cubed paneer and fry for a couple of minutes until light brown on all sides, gently turning to avoid breaking up the cubes.
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5
Remove the cheese from the skillet and set aside.
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6
Return the skillet to the heat and saute the onions, garlic, and ginger; cook and stir for about 5 minutes until soft.
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7
Sprinkle the mixture with the curry powder; continue to stir to marry the flavors, about 1 minute.
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8
Fold in the chopped spinach and give everything a good toss.
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9
Shut off the heat and stir the buttermilk and yogurt into the spinach to incorporate.
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10
The mixture should be creamy and somewhat thick.
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11
Gently fold in the fried paneer cubes, season with salt, to taste, and serve with steamed basmati rice and/or flat bread.
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12
1 pound unsalted butter
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13
Put the butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, swirl the pot around to ensure that it melts slowly and does not sizzle or brown.
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14
Increase the heat and bring the butter to a boil.
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15
When the surface is covered with foam, stir gently and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting.
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16
Gently simmer, uncovered, and undisturbed for 45 minutes, until the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown and the butter on top is transparent.
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17
Strain the ghee through a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth.
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18
The ghee should be perfectly clear and smell nutty; pour into a glass jar and seal tightly.
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19
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
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20
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
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21
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
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22
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
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23
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
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24
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
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25
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
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26
2 dried red chiles, broken in pieces, seeds discarded
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27
1 tablespoon turmeric
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28
Toast the whole spices (coriander, cumin, fennel, cloves, mustard, cardamom and peppercorns) and the chiles in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the pan often to prevent them from burning.
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29
Toast for a couple of minutes until the spices smell fragrant.
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30
In a clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together to a fine powder.
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31
Add the turmeric and give it another quick buzz to combine.
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32
Use the spice blend immediately, or store in a sealed jar for as long as 1 month.
