Palak Mutter Paneer With A Review

It happened a month back, when I was sent Hudson Canola Oil to review. I was very excited to use it because I never heard about Canola oil before; Canola oil is supposed to be a healthier option when compared to other oils. In India most of the houses uses peanut oil for cooking but  in my case it is never an option as my husband is allergic to nuts, which of course was the second reason why I wanted to use the canola oil.

Indian cooking involves the use of oil a lot which in turn makes our health worse, hence Canola oil is a better choice. Hudson’s canola oil looks like melted ghee and I am totally in love with this oil- it heats fast, has no particular smell and is very light in texture. I have made parthas, fried puri and even used this oil in baking (because of no prominent smell) and it impresses me every time. Why not buy your own batch of Husdon Canola Oil from  here.

Talking about today’s dish- Palak Mutter Paneer is also made using Hudson canola oil. Palak paneer and mutter paneer are the classic Paneer dishes that I am sure are made in every Indian house (ok, at least once!). Well! My attempt with this dish, was to turn two famous recipes into one curry and voila! I succeeded. Palak mutter paneer is the new delight and is just perfect in colour, taste and texture. What a makeover of two dishes-Right??

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped ,boiled spinach/palak

1 length wise chopped onions/pyaz

1 cup boiled peas/mutter

1 ½ cups grated cottage cheese/paneer

2 length wise chopped tomatoes/tamatar

5 cloves of garlic chrushed/lehsun

1 teaspoon of ginger paste/adrak

½ teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

3 green chilles chopped/hari mirchi

1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 tablespoon coriander powder/dhainya

¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

1 clove/laung

1 bayleaf/tej patta

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil (I used Hudson canola oil)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan/kadai and add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds crackle, add bayleaf and clove. Leave for 10 seconds.

Add ginger paste, crushed garlic, green chillies and onions. Saute till raw smells of garlic fades and onions turns pink in colour.

Then add boiled peas, paneer, spinach and tomatoes and mix well. To it add all the spices and stir well.

Cover and let it cook on medium flame for 5-8 minutes or till tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Serve hot with parathas or rice.

Notes:

I like it the burji style, but if you want you can add cubes of paneer too.

I prefer chunks of cooked tomatoes; those who wish can blend tomatoes in mixer and then use it.

Taste:

Spicy, green and of new taste.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. With thanks to Hudson for sending me canola oil to review

Malai Palak Paneer Subzi/ Creamy Spinach Cottage Cheese Cuury

Spinach is one of those super vegetable which has to be included in our everyday diet.  We know that spinach is a rich source of iron, apart from that spinach is also rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, magnesium etc. Palak Paneer in Creamy sauce is very good in taste and yes ofcourse health. There’s something about the creamed spinach and the soft paneer that is just amazing!

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chili powder
2 cloves
2 whole cardamoms
2" long cinnamon stick
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
16 oz spinach, boiled and pureed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
16 oz paneer, diced and lightly fried
2 red chillies
Salt

Method:

• Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, red chillies and onions.
• When the onions are light brown, add the garlic and tomatoes and all the spices.
• Cover and simmer till the tomatoes are cooked.
• Add the spinach and heavy cream. Simmer for couple of minutes before adding the paneer cubes.
• Serve with bread or rice.

Tips:
-Cooking the spinach gravy on low will add good taste to this dish.

-Be moderate with your salt, as spinach is already salty by nature.

-Boiling the spinach without the lid will make to retain its green colour. If you over cook or close the lid, your spinach will lose colour and it may turn into little black in the gravy.

-Remember to boil the spinach in water for few minutes to remove certain types of acid in the leaves.  Don't drink or use the boiled water as stock, since the acids are not good for your health.