Sag paneer

Between work and doing my taxes I haven’t had much time to think about recipes so how about what I had for dinner last night? It’s easy, nutritious, and tasty. I suspect there are as many recipes for this dish as there are Indian cooks. With some dal and rice this is a meal or with grilled chicken breast it would make a good side dish.

Sag paneer

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced (optional)
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
½ tsp. cardamom seeds (not pods, just seeds)
½ tsp. cumin seeds
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 9 oz. pkg. frozen spinach, defrosted and moisture squeezed out
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
½ cup water
½ lb. paneer (or fairly solid farmer cheese) cut into ¼ inch cubes
Salt to taste

1. Saute the onion in the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan that has a lid until the onion just begins to brown.
2. Add the optional garlic and saute for an additional minute.
3. Add the cardamom seeds and cumin seeds and saute for about one minute.
4. Add the cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, spinach, water, and tomato paste.
5. Mix thoroughly.
6. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Mix in the paneer cubes and simmer for about 2 minutes until the cheese is warmed through.
8. Serve!