Eli Cooks » Indian

Saag Paneer

Eli — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:08 +0000

Saag paneer (or palak paneer) is one of my favorite Indian dishes. Saag paneer is pretty ubiquitous in Indian restaurants, but it can vary widely from one restaurant to the next. What they (almost) all have in common is a base of chopped or pureed greens in a creamy, spice-laden sauce studded with pieces of paneer. There’s considerable variation in what makes the sauce creamy (cream vs butter vs yogurt), what spices are used (anything from “nothing but garlic and ginger” to “garam masala” to “just about every spice in your cabinet”), how much heat it has and even which greens are used (although spinach is by far the most common.)

There’s also the question of whether the dish is saag paneer or palak paneer. As far as I can tell, the difference is that palak paneer is made with only spinach and saag paneer is made with any tender greens. The most common greens for saag paneer are spinach, and a dish made with only spinach could be considered either palak paneer or saag paneer. But saag paneer is also commonly made with mustard greens, fenugreek leaves or a combination of those with spinach and/or other greens.

So, when a recent trip to Devon for dinner ended with a stop at Patel Brothers, I decided to pick up some paneer and give it a try at home. Some lovely chioggia beets from the farmers market lent their greens and dinner was served.

Saag Paneer
Cobbled together from Tyler Florence, Serious Eats and Coconut & Lime, among others.

You can use just about any combination of fresh and frozen greens for this recipe as long as you keep the total amount basically the same. I’d stay away from tougher or very bitter greens like collards, kale or dandelions. The flavor will change a bit if you use different greens, but it will still be saag paneer.
If there aren’t any Indian markets near you that sell paneer, the intarwebs have several recipes. (I haven’t gotten around to trying any yet, since it’s easy for me to just run out and pick some up.)

1 Tbsp whole garam masala
greens from 2 bunches of beets (about 12 oz), stemmed and roughly chopped
1 (8 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3 Tbsp butter
1 (14 oz) block paneer, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 small head green garlic (or 3-4 cloves normal garlic), minced
1″ piece of ginger, minced
1 jalepeno, minced
1 medium spring bulb onion (or small normal onion), minced
1 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup yogurt

Before you do anything else, toast the garam masala: In a dry skillet, heat the whole spices over high heat, shaking frequently, for about a minute. Remove from skillet and allow to cool completely, then grind in a clean coffee grinder.

Blanch the fresh greens in boiling water for about a minute, then drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet and fry the paneer over medium-high heat, browning each cube on 2 or 3 sides. Be sure to turn the cubes gently so you don’t break up the paneer. Remove the paneer from the skillet and set aside.

Add the mustard seeds to the same skillet (with the butter left from the paneer) and fry until they just start to pop, about 1 minute. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and jalepeno and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the beet greens, spinach, ground garam masala and turmeric and enough water to moisten everything without having much standing water. (I added about 3/4 cup, but you might need more or less depending how thoroughly you dried your greens. Add it in 1/4 cup increments.) Stir until everything is mixed well. Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, stir in the yogurt, then fold in the paneer.

Serve with rice or naan.

Dal (Indian Lentil Stew)

Eli — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:00:44 +0000

Back in culinary school I took an elective in Indian cooking. One of the dishes we made along the way was dal makhani, a stew made of urad dal (also known as Indian black lentils or black gram), kidney beans, ginger, garlic, garam masala, tomato and plenty of butter and cream. (There’s something quite satisfying about being able to unwrap a whole stick of butter and just drop it into a pot of stew.) The recipe was simple, rich and easy to make in bulk. Definitely a keeper.

Starting from that basic recipe, I’ve made variation upon variation over the years until I have more of a guideline than really a recipe at this point. I’ve tried more and less garlic, ginger and spices. Final preference: a lot of garlic, a good bit of ginger and just a bit of garam masala. I’ve tried tomato paste, tomato sauce, pureed canned tomatoes and no tomato at all. I think I have a slight preference for tomato paste, but any of them work, just remember to use more sauce or pureed tomatoes than paste, and you might need to adjust the amount of water a bit too.

And I’ve tried different beans and lentils. The urad dal and kidney beans from the original recipe need to be soaked overnight before it’s cooked, but most other kinds of lentils don’t require a soak. My first preference is to use several kinds of lentils together to provide a range of textures. I like a mix of red masoor dal (which disintegrate almost completely), normal brown lentils and urad dal. I usually leave out the kidney beans these days, just because it’s great without them and it’s one less ingredient to keep around. And as often as not, I make dal with just normal brown lentils, because I always have them around and they don’t require a soak (meaning no planning ahead.) If you experiment with different kinds of lentils, you may need more or less water and more or less cooking time. Just check how they’re doing periodically and adjust. This recipe isn’t at all fussy.

Quick Dal
This might not be the most authentic dal in the world, but it’s quite good and quick enough for a weeknight dinner. It also scales up beautifully to feed a crowd.
Dal is just as good (if not better) the second day, so be sure to make more than you plan to eat.

Serves 4-6

1 Tbsp butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
about 1″ fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp garam masala or a mix of your favorite spices (optional)
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed and drained
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp – 1 Tbsp salt (depending on your tastes)
1 tsp cayenne (optional)
1/2 stick butter (4 Tbsp)
3 oz tomato paste (half a small can)
1/4 cup half and half or cream

In a medium pan, melt the butter, then cook the garlic and ginger over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook an additional minute or so. Add the lentils, water and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook, covered, until tender, but still with a bit of tooth to them, about 35 minutes. If the water runs low, add a bit more.

Stir in the cayenne, butter and tomato paste. Bring back to a simmer and cook, covered, 10 minutes more.

Turn off the heat and stir in the half and half. Taste and add more salt or cayenne as desired.

Serve the dal over rice or with naan or roti.

Indian-Spiced Black-Eyed Peas

Eli — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:19:20 +0000

This recipe was a fortuitous accident. I soaked some beans with the intention of just cooking them with a ham hock or bacon or salt pork: whatever was in the freezer. After they had soaked overnight, I realized my freezer was entirely pork-free. (I really have no idea how that happened, but I’ll do my best to keep it from happening again.) Anyway, I was left with already soaked beans and nothing to do with them.

I didn’t want to cook just plain beans, so I started flipping through recipe books and blogs trying to find something interesting that didn’t require me to go to the store. I happened across a recipe for a pureed lentil soup with garam masala and coconut milk and thought that was as good a place to start as any. I can’t say I used that recipe for much more than inspiration, but it was the spark I needed.

I used the pre-mixed garam masala from the Spice House and tweaked it a bit with added green and black cardamom, cassia buds and stick cinnamon. Garam masala is one of those things that everyone likes just a bit differently, so don’t be afraid to add more of whichever spices you like best. This blend is a bit heavier on the pepper, but it uses Tellicherry pepper, which gives a nice floral topnote along with the spicy pepper flavor.

Indian-Spiced Black-Eyed Peas
The garam masala I used here has enough pepper to give the dish a bit of heat. If you use a less peppery garam masala, you could add some chilies.
If the final product needs more depth of flavor, add a teaspoon or so of dark brown sugar to give it a little boost. (I added a bit to mine at the end, but not all coconut milk is created equal, so yours might provide enough sweetness on its own.
As is often the case with beans, this is better the second day. If you’re planning to cook it ahead, leave the sweet potatoes just a bit undercooked so they don’t fall apart.

1 lb black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight
4 Tbsp butter
2 1/2 Tbsp freshly ground garam masala
6 cloves garlic, minced
1″ piece ginger, minced
2 14 oz cans (unsweetened) coconut milk
1 14 oz can water
1 Tbsp salt
1 lb sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4″ coins

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high. Add the garam masala and toast for about a minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the drained beans, coconut milk, water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. At this point the beans should be somewhat soft, but still just a bit crunchy; they should be almost cooked. Add the sweet potatoes and simmer an additional 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are just starting to be tender, but not mushy. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.