A delicious example of how the subtle use of spices can sometimes add much more to a dish than using everything in your spice box.
Palak paneer is something I grew up eating. I'm from a Punjabi family, so my mother regularly made it at home. But palak paneer was also a fixture of celebratory meals and occasions, and we'd serve it whenever family members or cousins came to visit—it's very special for us Punjabis. It's almost always included as part of the menu for Punjabi weddings; I can't really remember a single wedding I've attended where palak paneer wasn't served.
This particular recipe is my mother's, and I like her version the best in part because it's so simple. There aren't any extra spices, which lets the spinach flavor shine. The creamy spinach sauce has a touch of garlic and chile to deepen its flavor and make it more interesting, and it complements the chunks ofperfectly. I fry the paneer in ghee to give it some texture and add a layer of flavor, and a small amount of cream toward the end ties everything together beautifully.
When I moved the UK, I encountered for the first time saag aloo, a dish of puréed spinach and chunks of potato, which I think must have been inspired by or derived from palak paneer. I have to admit I didn't care for it very much; I was surprised by the substitution of potato for paneer, and the name was a little confusing to me, because I'd only heard "saag" used to refer to sarson, or mustard leaves.
The process is very simple: I wilt the spinach leaves by cooking them with a little water in a covered pot, then purée them in a blender. I fry the paneer in some oil in another pan, set the paneer aside, and in the same pan I heat some oil with whole mustard and cumin seeds until the seeds start to pop, at which point I add a little minced garlic.
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