Saag Paneer with Chickpeas
Recipe adapted fom NYT Cooking
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons ghee divided
- 8 ounces paneer cut into 1'' cubes
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed, drained, and patted dry
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- Salt to taste (1-2 teaspoons- be generous)
- 8 ounces baby spinach or other greens of choice ~8 cups
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 ’’ inch piece ginger peeled
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 cup cashew cream see recipe below or heavy cream
- juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Heat a large 12'' pan* over medium heat. Add enough ghee to generously coat the bottom of the pan (1-2 tablespoons). Once hot, add in paneer in one even layer. Add in chickpeas** around the paneer.*You can use a cast iron or nonstick pan. I've done both. I prefer the nonstick pan because I don't need to use as much ghee, but you do need to be careful about not getting the pan too hot (for safety reasons).**make sure chickpeas are relatively dry or they will pop. Also the residual water defeats the purpose of frying.
- Let paneer sit until browned on bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and repeat for other sides. Stir chickpeas occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In a food processor, add ginger, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Process until finely chopped. Set aside.
- Reheat pan over medium heat and add in additional tablespoon of ghee. Add in onion and saute until onion is lightly browned, a few minutes.
- Add in the processed ginger, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Stir to coat the onions in the seasoning and saute until aromatic and lightly browned, a few minutes.
- While this is all cooking, process the spinach in the food processor (personally I think it's okay if there's a bit of residual ginger/garlic) until finely chopped.
- Add spinach and 1 cup of water to the pan. Saute over medium until most of the water has evaporated or been absorbed by the spinach, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Add in cashew cream or heavy cream and stir until incorporated. Add in lime juice and stir until incorporated. Add back in the chickpeas and paneer.
- Serve with rice or naan.
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