Thursday 23 June 2016

How to Make Palak Paneer / Palak Tofu (Spinach & Cheese/Tofu Curry)

This irresistible (albeit non-traditional) recipe has become a weekly event in my household since I figured out a way to use 5 less pans, and began replacing the heavy cream in traditional Palak Paneer with coconut cream. This recipe is easily made vegan by replacing the paneer with firm tofu. My son and boyfriend are huge fans. And now that I know I won't be doing dishes all night afterwards, so am I!

Ingredients:
20 oz spinach (about 2 bunches, stems removed or diced,  20oz baby spinach)
6-8 oz paneer cheese or tofu (see: how to make paneer cheese) cut into 1/2 inch cubes
http://ketocafewithsuzy.blogspot.ca/2016/06/how-to-make-fresh-paneer-cheese-simple.html

1 x 400mL can coconut milk (Aroy-D is my fave)
3 roma tomatoes, de-seeded & diced (chop off top and squeeze the juicy liquid out with the seeds)
1 small onion (3 inches) diced
3-5 cloves garlic (peeled)
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced (approx 1 tbsp)
1 cup water
juice of 1 lemon. 
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt (more to taste)

spices:
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp tandoori masala
1/2 tsp pan masala
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
TIP: put all spices into one easy to add container, they will be added all at once. 
http://www.cuisinart.ca/cuisinart_product.php?item_id=414&product_id=449&cat_id=8
Tools:
Wok or medium sized pot WITH LID
Decent hand blender (Cuisinart smart stick - best $70 I ever spent) or food processor.
medium size frying pan
grater (for ginger)

Directions:
Begin by salting and pan frying the cubes of PANEER CHEESE (or TOFU) on a lightly oiled pan until golden brown. Flip a few times. Set aside.

In the WOK or POT, sautee the ONION in t tbsp olive oil. When they begin to brown add the TOMATOES and cook until tomatoes become tender and mushy. Add all the spices, plus 1 cup of water. Bring to a light boil. Add the SPINACH, cover, and turn to LOW heat. The idea is to only lightly wilt the spinach, retaining its nutrients. It will need maybe 5 minutes. If it's fresh bunches it may need a little longer if you kept on the stems. Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice, garlic, ginger and SALT, then Hand blend until it is smooth.  Slowly add coconut milk.Blend a little more. Turn heat back on, to medium low, add the paneer cheese and bring to a soft boil, then remove from heat. You may choose to add a bit more salt at this point, but allow the curry to sit and stew for 10 minutes and let the flavors develop a little bit and let some of that rich green gravy saturate the paneer.

Remove Bay Leaves, and reserve them to use as garnish or other garnish ideas like: serve with lemon or lime wedges, or coconut cream and chili sauce. Serve with rice, naan, or on its own if you're going keto. This hearty recipe has less than 5g total carbs per serving (more nutritional info below).


     NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING
This recipe makes           6 servings calories   fat net  carbs       sugar  fiber protein

216         16.9                     4.9g                    2.6          1.6           16.2        


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