Palak paneer

Is it Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer? Which one it is? Whats in the name? you may ask! Well, everything! How will you feel if you are addressed differently from your own name? Aha yes! Now we are talking so why this partiality when it comes to food? After all as long as the food on plate is edible, we shouldnt be much bothered about how it is called, right? Wrong!!! At least I feel it is wrong. When you are cooking for your loved ones, it not only takes time and effort in creating a dish but you also sprinkle some love, and care into the final dish! After all its not just the salt, spices or herbs that makes or breaks a dish! When I cook I sprinkle little bit of pure love, a dash of passion, and a tadka of care which I learnt from my Amma! So when we take so much time, effort and put in so much of ourselves, why not take little time to know and understand why the dish is called so and so, where it comes from and what is the right way to make it? After all the information is on our finger tips So when I Googled, Guru Google came up with bunch of websites that had answer to my basic question! I went through every website and found that they had contradictory answers! My confusion grew further and I had sleepless night, tossing from one side to another, worrying about dying without knowing the difference between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer! OK, I am kidding! But yes, I am one of those who cant rest until I learn the reason/answer to some thought/question that the life throws at me now and then, just to test my sanity! So this question of difference between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer was eating up my time and mind for most part of the day, and the answer at last came in the form of my friend whose mother is one of the finest Punjabi cooks! So do you want to know the answer to earth shattering question of what is the difference between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer? ;) Saag is a generic name for cooked and pureed green leafy vegetables like mustard greens (THE Sarson of famous Sarson ka Saag), spinach, fenugreek leaves, kale, spring greens, coriander and even mint leaves and Palak is just palak, ahem, spinach! Unlike the spinach leaves which takes just few minutes to wilt and cook, Saag takes much longer time as the greens usually have thick leaves and veins and takes long time to break when cooking. Mrs. A shared her fond memories her mother and aunts who would start the prep work a day before for making the creamy delicious Saag which was cooked on open wood fire!!! By early morning, the household would wake up to the heavenly aroma of Saag gently bubbling over slow fire to which the lady of the house would stir in a dollop of cream and love to be packed away in tall Tiffin boxes for the men of the family who needed all the nourishments and love to work in a large farm during cold winter days I could just sit there sigh thinking about the taste of Saag, which was slow cooked overnight, a product of so much love, care and passion! A true labour of love shining through simple, home made dish!

Although many Indian restaurants and takeaways feature Saag Paneer on their menu, most often it is rather confusing for the customer as the base gravy has just spinach! Most often, Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer are used interchangeably, sometimes to mislead and most the times due to lack of knowledge! The taste of mustard greens in Saag is an acquired taste and not everyone will like the pungent and some what bitter taste of mustard greens which is heavily used in making Saag Paneer. And to mellow its taste, spinach is added along with bucketful of double cream and spice mixes which kind of hides the true star of the dish. So if you are making Saag Paneer, then do give the star ingredient, mustard green, a chance to shine and do not let it play a cameo role! And if only spinach is used, then it is simply Palak Paneer and not Saag Paneer! Consider yourself lucky if you ever get a chance to taste authentic Saag Paneer made by someone like Mrs. A who would stir the pot of Saag for hours instead of serving simple Palak Paneer which can be made with in half an hour! It is not everyday and everywhere that you get to taste real Saag Paneer and the taste of it lingers in your mind and soul for very long time!!! Sadly, as Mrs. A said, many well known restaurants who swear they serve authentic Indian cuisine, and also the celebrity chefs, often seen misguiding the food lovers by calling Palak Paneer a Saag Paneer and unfortunately, I too was misinformed for many years!

Method:

1.

Bring the pot of water to boil and add about a tsp of sugar. Switch off the flame and add washed spinach leaves to them. Let it rest for one minute and drain all the water through colander. Bring the colander under running cold water to stop the spinach from cooking further. You can also steam cook the spinach for 2 minutes instead of blanching in hot water. Simply omit this step if you dont want to either steam or blanch the spinach. 2. Next, based on your preference you can either finely chop or puree the spinach to smooth paste or simply grind it into rough paste by using food processor. I like to have little texture in Palak Paneer and hence I simply dumped the lot in food processor and pressed the pulse button few times to get rough spinach paste. Keep it aside until needed. 3. Heat oil/ghee in a pan on medium flame and arrange paneer pieces in a single layer. Once they turns golden, about 1-2 mins, flip them over and cook the other side for another minute. Remove them from pan and either place them on a plate lined with kitchen towel or in a bowl of warm water which will help in keeping the paneer soft. This step is optional but recommended as it helps the paneer to hold its shape instead of crumbling when cooked in spinach gravy. 4. In a same oil/ghee, add cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. Fry them for half a minute. 5. Next add hing and finely chopped onions and saut on medium flame till they turn golden, about 3-5 minutes. 6. Add ginger-garlic paste, minced green chillies, crushed kasuri methi and fry them for 3-4 mins until raw smell of ginger-garlic paste disappears. 7. Add garam masala, kitchen king masala, coriander powder and cumin powder and stir them till the raw smell of the spices gives way to much harmonious and melodious aroma, about 1 minute. Add about table spoon of water if you think the spices are burning and sticking to the pan. 8. Mix in chopped tomatoes and cook till they are pulpy and release their juice, about 2 minutes. 9. Add the spinach, sugar and milk, little less than cups of water and mix them well. If using fresh cream instead of whole milk, add little less than cup of water. Let them cook covered for about 5-6 minutes on medium flame. Add salt to taste and let it cook uncovered for another 3-5 minutes. 10. Add paneer pieces and gently mix them so that the spices are evenly coated and let it simmer for 3 minutes before you switch off the flame. 11. Drizzle freshly squeezed lime juice and serve this delicious Palak Paneer with any Indian flat breads (Whole Wheat Naan or Butter Naan or with any stuffed parathas) or plain/flavoured Basmati rice!