Some of the in style recipe requests on Fb was for palak paneer, and I knew I could not finish the 12 months with out sharing my recipe with you.
Palak Paneer
Earlier than we start, let’s get to know paneer a bit of higher.
What Is Paneer?
One of many points that always come up in meals writing, particularly for a few of us writers who work with non-European components, is that we have to describe them utilizing a extra acquainted counterpart even when there isn’t one. Take paneer, for instance; it’s usually known as “Indian cottage cheese” or “Indian cheese”. Whereas paneer is a type of cheese, that description is deceptive. Individuals who make paneer for the primary time and are not accustomed to it anticipate it to be salty. Virtually all European cheeses are salted, however paneer shouldn’t be. Paneer isn’t the one instance; kulfi, a frozen Indian dessert, is described as an Indian ice cream. This description conjures up photographs of sentimental scoops of ice cream, and kulfi most definitely doesn’t qualify. Kulfi comprises ice crystals and is agency sufficient that it may be reduce with a knife. Kulfi’s texture lies between a milky ice cream and a sorbet, however is agency. Whereas I’ve used these descriptions after I write recipes to introduce components and supply some sort of comparability, I usually marvel if I’m setting the stage up for misconceptions.
To know why paneer is made with out salt, let’s first see how paneer is ready. Paneer is obtained by curdling boiling milk utilizing an acid like lemon or lime juice, the whey is drained and discarded, and the curdled milk solids are collected. The milk solids are then rinsed properly after which pressed to type a cake which supplies the paneer its attribute block-like construction. Salt isn’t added at any level, whether or not you make it at dwelling or purchase it from a grocery retailer or an Indian market.
Paneer is a agency product and isn’t a spreadable cheese. It additionally doesn’t soften when heated, making it amenable to frying and different heat-based purposes because it holds its construction. Because of this, paneer is added to dishes like right this moment’s palak paneer and grilled on skewers to make kebabs.
Home made Paneer Is Usually Too Gentle A few of you who’ve made paneer at dwelling would possibly marvel why the paneer you’ve made isn’t as agency because the one you’ve purchased from shops. There’s a motive for this, and it lies within the chemistry of milk. In India, buffalo’s milk is extra widespread than cow’s milk and is usually the supply for paneer making (Cow’s milk is extra prevalent within the West). Home made paneer made out of cow’s milk normally finally ends up like ricotta; it’s troublesome to press it right into a block and reduce it into cubes that maintain its form. The calcium content material of milk from cows and buffalos (cow’s milk has considerably decrease calcium than buffalo) may be very totally different, affecting the diploma of firmness. After I was engaged on The Taste Equation cookbook (studying easy methods to make paneer utilizing the recipe from the e book), I examined cow’s milk with various kinds of cooking acids. After a number of rounds of paneer making, I discovered that including calcium chloride (an ingredient utilized in cheese making) together with lemon juice to cow’s milk helped produce agency paneer similar to the one bought in shops, it was additionally simpler to press and form, after which reduce the cubes of paneer held on to their form. Including calcium chloride elevated the calcium content material of cow’s milk and helped with the curdling of the milk (calcium chloride is an acidic salt and, when dissolved in water, lowers the pH and modifications {the electrical} prices on the amino acids within the milk proteins). You can even learn extra about it at Critical Eats.
Paneer takes on the flavors of no matter it’s uncovered to (like tofu) and is excessive in protein, making it extraordinarily in style in Indian cooking.
Palak Paneer Palak paneer is typically known as saag paneer. Saag is the Hindi phrase for inexperienced leaves, and you can also make this dish with mustard greens (the most typical selection, particularly within the Indian state of Punjab the place mustard is grown) or spinach (the Hindi phrase for spinach is palak), however you should use any kind of inexperienced leaves. In case you consider a Venn diagram, saag paneer is the large circle, and palak paneer is the smaller circle inside it.
A few of the saag and palak paneer recipes will name for the addition of kasoori methi, aka sun-dried fenugreek leaves. You should buy this on-line or discover it in an Indian grocery retailer. A bit little bit of this goes a good distance; some folks uncover the flavour of fenugreek a bit potent, so use it accordingly or skip it.
To Fry Or Not To Fry As a toddler, I’d solely eat paneer fried if it wasn’t; it felt like my world collapsed (I used to be a dramatic youngster, and I believe as an grownup, I’ve mellowed considerably, however my household and buddies would possibly disagree). For no specific motive, I now want paneer in stews unfried, the feel feels a lot extra tender and delicate, and I like that. If you wish to fry the paneer, achieve this by all means.
A few pointers earlier than you make this dish. Initially, I’m not satisfied that 8 oz/230 g of paneer is sufficient to feed 4 folks at the same time as a aspect. Fortunately as a result of this recipe makes loads of gravy, I’ve offered the choice to double the paneer (so it might truly feed 4 folks as a aspect or most important), however I’ll depart this as much as you. Some folks want much less paneer and extra gravy. READ THE COOK’S NOTES.
The place To Purchase Paneer – Indian Grocery Shops, Entire Meals, and lots of different grocery shops now promote paneer within the dairy aisle. You should buy a few blocks and freeze them. Thaw a block the night time earlier than you intend to make use of it.
Now, let’s make this pot of palak paneer.
