Palak paneer (palak = spinach, paneer = a type of cheese) is an Indian specialty, and it consists of curry, i.e. spinach sauce, and that cheese, paneer. In this recipe I used tofu, so it's called Palak tofu. I adapted the recipe a little to our western kitchens in terms of spices, and here it is - an interesting and nutritious dish.
Allergens: soy, cashews | Preparation time: 50 min | Portions: 3 | Complexity: intermediate
Ingredients for the tofu
200 g fresh tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
Ingredients for the curry
block of frozen spinach puree (400 g)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 mild green chilli pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
a piece of fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
2 small tomatoes
1 tsp garam masala
handfull of cashews
Preparation
First prepare the tofu. Drain it a little, cut it into cubes, add salt and spices and throw it in a pan with heated olive oil. Fry it for a few minutes with occasional turning of the cubes, until it gets a golden crust, then remove it to a bowl on the side.
Put another tablespoon of olive oil in the same pan and add cumin seeds and cinnamon. Fry briefly with frequent stirring, approx. 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, finely chop the green chilli pepper, onion, garlic and ginger and add them to the pan. Add a little salt and sauté.
When the onion becomes glassy, add chopped tomatoes and garam masala. Continue to cook until the tomatoes begin to fall apart.
Then add pureed spinach. Cook over low heat until it becomes creamy and begins to boil.
Add baked tofu and cashews.
Serve with naan or rice 🍚
Notes
This dish normally includes some other spices, eg fenugreek, cloves... I didn't add them because I wanted to make a version more or less adapted to the spices we usually have at home. If you like to play with spices, you can certainly add those :)
As for spinach, it can also be used fresh - in that case it should first be blanched and pureed.
