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1
In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil.
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2
Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes if you're using the homemade kind.
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3
Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
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4
Thaw the spinach in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, 5 minutes on high, then puree in a food processor until smooth.
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5
Alternatively, you can chop it up very finely with your knife.
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6
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan warms.
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7
In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side.
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8
Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate.
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9
Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan.
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10
Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile.
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11
Now here's the important part: saute the mixture until it's evenly toffee-coloured, which should take about 15 minutes.
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12
Don't skip this step - this is the foundation of the dish!
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13
If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
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14
Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin.
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15
If you haven't already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning.
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16
Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells a bit more melodious, 3 to 5 minutes.
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17
Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach.
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18
Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.
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19
Turn the heat off.
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20
Add the yogurt, a little at a time to keep it from curdling.
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21
Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer.
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22
Turn the heat back on, cover and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes.
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23
Serve.
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24
*Cook's Note: Paneer is very easy to make at home, and my recipe is quick, easy, and delicious.
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25
I also think homemade has a better texture than anything store-bought.
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26
If you'd like to buy it, this cheese is available in better supermarkets as well as specialty Asian markets.
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27
Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink.
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28
In a large wide pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom (a nonstick pot works really well for this purpose).
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29
This will take a little while so be patient!
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30
Add the lemon juice and turn the heat down to low.
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31
Stirring gently, you should almost immediately see the curds (white milk solids) and whey (the greenish liquid) separate.
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32
Don't fret, this is perfect!
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33
*Cook's Note: If the milk doesn't separate juice some more lemons and add another tablespoon or two.
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34
Boost the heat again and the milk should separate.
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35
Stir in a motion that gathers the curds together rather than breaks them up.
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36
Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth-lined colander.
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37
Gently rinse with cool water to get rid of the lemon flavor.
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38
At this point, you could squeeze out some of the liquid, and serve with some honey and some nuts, almost like a fresh ricotta!
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39
Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out the excess whey.
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40
Tie the cheesecloth to your kitchen faucet and allow the cheese to drain for about 5 minutes.
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41
Twisting the ball to compact the cheese into a block, place it on a plate with the twisted part of the cheesecloth on the side (this will ensure your block of cheese is nice and smooth!)
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42
and set another plate on top.
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43
Weigh the second plate down with cans of beans or a heavy pot.
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44
Move to the refrigerator and let it sit about 20 minutes.
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45
Combine the cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom seeds, black cardamom seeds, if using into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind until fine.
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46
Store the spice mix in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.
