Saag paneer

I told my friend Edgy that I was making my own cheese. Her first response was "What!? Do you have a cow???"

I don't. But I would love to see her mental picture for making cheese! (I'm picturing shaking a cow, maybe. She must have been thinking of milkshakes!)

I first had saag paneer at Shalimar here in Ann Arbor. It was so good and I really wanted to try it at home.

Paneer is a simple indian cheese, that rather reminds me of tofu.

You don't really need a recipe for this. Just take a half gallon of whole milk and heat it until it's just about to boil. It'll get kind of frothy on top.



Next, add something acidic. I use lemon juice (~4 tablespoons) but other citrus juices like lime juice or even vinegar should have the same effect. This causes the milk to form curds.



It should look kind of like this. If it doesn't work, add more lemon juice. I'm pretty sure this is impossible to ruin because the first time I made this I accidently left it on the heat multiple times.

Then pour this through a cheesecloth.



Squeeze it and let it trip for a bit. Chill for a few hours.



and cheese! Slice this into cubes and it's ready to be added to the saag part of the recipe.

Saag is also easy.

In a saucepan, heat some olive oil and add about a tablespoon of mustard seeds. (I think the seeds are used are mustard seeds. They are from an Indian friends spice collection and don't have labels. Maybe they are fennel seeds?) Heat over medium-high heat until the seeds start to make popping noises. Add minced garlic (I like a lot, probably 2-3 tablespoons) and other spices, like garam masala and ginger, cumin and coriander if you have them. I don't measure this, but it's somewhere between a 1/2 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons for each. It's more exciting to have it different every time. You could probably mince an onion and put it in there too.

Then, add a 1 pound bag of frozen spinach. I am all about fresh everything but frozen is definitely better here. Stir a bit, cover and let simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cubed cheese and keep on heat until it's all warm.

Serve with rice and naan.



This feeds me for about 4 lunches... so servings: 4.

While I love cooking and usually cook something everyday, a sad side effect of cooking just for myself means that I make something... and then eat it all week. I will be eating this for the next three days. It's real motivation to make it really delicious, though.