“Pudina Palak Paneer Masala” … had some pudina in excess, so just tried adding it to palak paneer and it was worth it, something different … the aromatic flavour of pudina takes the normal palak paneer curry to another level making it that much more delicious … for best of taste serve it with any mildly spiced rice dishes like pulav, ghee rice, jeera rice or with roti/ parathas/ naan … I served it with panpolo (neer dosa) and it was an excellent combination … Yummilicious ….
** Palak Paneer is a famous dish that is sure to have been relished by almost everybody who is a foodie. Each region has its own variation on addition of spices. This time I experimented with some ingredients and tried out this dish that surprisingly turned out great. Do give it a try and enjoy it with your family and friends. Though I would suggest the best combo with this dish would be any mildly spiced rice dishes like pulav, jeera rice or ghee rice. However, it tastes equally great served with roti/ parathas especially with naan. Again, it tastes fantastic served with our own panpolo (neer dosa) and if you too are a fan of panpolo with curry combos, then give it a try, you will love it.
** Here is my own take on recipe for “Pudina Palak Paneer Masala” … My style …
** Ingredients :
** To be made into Puree :
Palak : one medium sized bunch (50-60 leaves)
** For Masala to be Ground :
Coconut/ Nariyal/ Soyi : ½ cup freshly grated
Pudina/ Mint Leaves : ½ cup, leaves only
Coriander Leaves/ Kothambari Pallo/ Dhania : 1 cup, leaves with tender stems.
Green Chilly/ Tarni Mirsanga/ Hari Mirchi : 5-6
Adrak/ Alle’/ Ginger : ½ inch
Losun/ Lehsun/ Garlic : 5-6 peeled
Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 5-6 fresh ones
** Masala Powder's :
Dhania Powder/ Kothambari PItti/ Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
Jeera/ Cumin Powder : ½ tsp
Goda Masala Powder : 1 tsp
Malwani Masala Powder : 1 tblsp
Kashmiri Mirchi Powder/ Mirsange Pitti/ Mirchi Tikkat : 1 tsp
Turmeric/ Haldi Powder : ¼ tsp
** For Preparing the Curry :
Paneer : 250 gms
Losun/ Lehsun/ Garlic : 5-6 peeled and finely chopped
Onion/ Piyavu/ Kanda : one large sized, peeled and finely chopped
Tomato : 2 large sized, peeled and finely chopped
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
Coconut Oil/ Nariyal Tel/ Narlel Tela : 3 tblsp
Ghee/ Toop : 1 tblsp
** Soak paneer slab in water for 15 minutes, discard the water, cut into desired sized cubes/ pieces and once again let it soak in water until required to be added to the curry. Always follow this procedure to get soft paneer when cooking.
** You can use homemade paneer or store bought one’s too, just see to it that you get even sized slices for the preparation. For method of preparing “Paneer” at home, you can check out on my link shared at the bottom of this recipe.
** To be made into Puree : Pick, wash and finely chop the palak leaves. Add into a pressure cooker with just ½ cup of water and pressure cook on medium heat to 2-3 whistles. Keep it aside to allow the pressure fall on its own, then open the lid and cool for some time. Now with the help of a hand blender or mixer grinder prepare a puree of the cooked palak to a smooth and fine puree. Keep this ready aside.
** Note : Always add minimum water while cooking palak as the leaves by themselves contain sufficient water to cook. However, If there is excess water after cooking, you can strain and keep it aside to be added later if required or add it to any other dishes like soup or roti while preparing the same. The thickness of the curry depends upon individual/ family liking, so add accordingly, I do not keep the curry too thick.
** For Masala to be Ground : Pick, wash and finely chop both pudina and coriander leaves. You can use the tender stems of coriander leaves, however in case of pudina only leaves should be added. Drain well and add it into a mixer grinder along with coconut, green chilly, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and grind to a fine paste. You can use the palak cooked excess water for grinding if desired, I did. Keep this ready aside.
** Masala Powders : Add all masala powders (Dhania/ Jeera/ Goda Masala/ Malwani Masala/ Kashmiri Mirchi/ Turmeric) in a bowl and keep it ready.
** Note : Goda Masala is a maharastrian masala powder ie stronger in flavor than plain Garam masala powder, however, if not available you can replace it with garam masala powder. Again Malwani Masala too is available in almost all stores, if not, you can replace it with any curry masala powder easily available in your vicinity.
** For Preparing the Curry : Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai/ pan, when hot lower the heat to medium and add finely chopped garlic pieces and fry them until they are lightly browned, now add finely chopped onion pieces, pinch of salt and further fry together until they are evenly browned. Lower the heat and add all the masala powder kept ready and fry for half a minute and then add in the tomato pieces. Mix well and fry for 2-3 minutes, cover and cook until the tomatoes have turned soft and mushy.
** Note : If you need to add some water for tomatoes to cook then you can use the strained palak cooked water here, which is what I did. I added about ¼ cup of the cooked water and gently mashed the tomatoes with the back of spatula.
** When the tomatoes are cooked and done add the ground masala, mix well and let cook for 2-3 minutes only. Add in the prepared and kept ready palak puree, mix well, check and add water only if required depending upon the consistency you desire and then cook on medium heat, stirring in between until you see bubbles appearing on the surface of the curry. Now check and add salt to taste, mix well, cover and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes for the curry to blend in well with all the flavours.
** Discard the water in which the paneer is soaked, gently pat it dry with a towel and tava fry it with little bit of oil on both sides (frying is optional and can be skipped as added as it is). Add it to the simmering curry and mix well and simmer for just 2-3 minutes. (Paneer does not require much cooking, so avoid doing so by adding them last to the curry, otherwise it will turn hard and chewy which is not at all plesant to be served or relished, so be careful). Lastly add ghee (optional), remove from heat, cover with a lid and keep it aside for the curry to settle for about 20 minutes before serving and its ready.
** “Pudina Palak Paneer Masala” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best served with midly spiced rice dishes like pulav, ghee rice, jeera rice or with roti, parathas. I also served it the next day with panpolo (neer dosa) and it was awesome. Do try this curry and enjoy with your family and friends. The aromatic flavour of pudina takes the normal palak paneer curry to another level making it that much more delicious.
** Children are fussy eaters when it comes to veggies and milk, give them snacks, fries, milk shakes, ice creams, chocolates, burgers, pizza and they are game to relish any time of the day. Paneer is high in protein and if your child is fussy with milk, then include paneer dishes which is fantastic for growing children. It is also good for all including elders/older ones as the calcium needs are met.
** Palak too is high source of Iron, Vitamin A, C, E and K and has plenty of essential nutrients that contribute to one's overall health and well-being, so include them more often into your meals in different varieties. This curry is one way to make children relish them without a murmur on veggie front, Isn't that fantastic. You can adjust spices included according to your family preferences, as it is a matter of individual preference.
** Pudina/ Mint Leaves, we all know are excellent for boosting immunity levels, digestion, stomach issues besides plenty of other benefits. In fact it is recommended by nutritionists these days to be included in preparation of one of the best detox drinks with inclusion of cucumber and lemon slices. There are plenty of coolants where it is used for garnishing or crushed in and added for flavour. Try it, its fantastic.
** Note : It is best to use FRESH HOMEMADE PANEER both for taste and quality. However, you can use any from reliable sources too. Actually, CURDS/ DAHI are used for marinating, however I have used white vinegar as a substitute the same and it tastes wonderful, you may use any. Again, you can use any spice powder mixes you prefer too adjusting accordingly. Though these fries taste best fried crisp you may fry it slightly lesser if you prefer soft paneer pieces. You can serve this with any assorted veggie salad along with the coriander- mint chutney (or any of your choice) for best taste.
** For the “Method of preparing Paneer” at home, please browse through the link shared below which includes step by step pictures ….
** For more “Paneer” recipes, please browse through the common link shared below ….
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