The good for you green veggies- Spinach.

In my quest for oil free recipes, (cos the guilt trip one takes after eating oil laden food is just not worth it.) I try to get diff recipes and try them with as less oil as possible. I have found that a palak paneer cooked in a teaspoon and a half of oil tastes just as good as the oil laden one and also that one can actually eat more and not feel full. The fine tuned version of my very own Palak Paneer.
Palak Paneer
Ingds:
2 bunches of Spinach (leaves to be blanched and liquidized into a paste)
6-8 cloves garlic/ 1” ginger/2 green chillies (ground together)
2 onions (medium) chopped finely
250gms Paneer cut into cubes
a pinch of turmeric (optional..it’s ok not to add it… but don’t add too much as the spinach turns an unsavoury dark green)
red chilli powder … this depends on your taste
Dhania jeera powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar 1 tsp
For the tempering: 1 dry red chilli, 1 badi elaichi, 2 cloves, 4 pepper corns, 1 small piece of cinnamon.
Method: Blanch and liquidize the spinach. Make ginger garlic green chilli paste… if you are in a hurry just liquidize ginger/garlic/green chilli and spinach together into a smooth paste.
Heat a little water in a pan (as if you are taking water instead of oil) then add the chopped onions into the water…. Keep a lid on this and cook the onions till done. Then add the green paste, mix well for a couple of minutes, then add the turmeric, red chilli powder, dhania jeera powder. Mix well and then add the spinach paste. Add the salt and sugar and bring it to a boil. Then add the paneer cubes (no frying required) and the garam masala powder and bring to a boil again.
In another pan heat 1 ½ tsp oil, add all the spices given for tempering. Roast them well… this is a must otherwise one gets the metallic taste of spinach. Add this tempering to the palak paneer. Your palak paneer is ready to be served.

Palak paneer reminds me of another tasty spinach dish…. The palak raita (spinach salad.. though it’s more a dip).
Palak raita:
Blanch and liquidize spinach leaves. Add a green chilli while liquidizing. To this add roasted jeera powder, salt, sugar and thick curd. Beat well. Tastes good with fritters and kababs.

Bon appetit!