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Simply eat – the enjoyment column
Indian cuisine all in green: How our author prepares a delicious saag paneer
And enjoy a mango lassi with it: Simply mix a mango, a little lemon juice, 250 g yoghurt and 150 ml milk until creamy. Refine with cardamom and saffron
© Wolfgang Schardt; Maria Grossmann (styling); Roland Geiselmann (food styling)
Our columnist ventures into Indian cuisine. She is rewarded with a particularly fine Saag Paneer. Here is her recipe.
Anyone who wants to turn to Indian-inspired cuisine will initially feel like they are in front of an endless shelf of spices. Which of them should I take? To get started, I tried saag, an aromatic spinach dish that wraps the paneer, the Indian cream cheese, in a spicy green coat. If you want to try it out too – here’s how:
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 green cardamom pods
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 piece of ginger (approx. 2.5 cm)
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 500 g baby spinach
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 small green Indian chili pepper (alternatively Serrano chili or Bird’s Eye chili)
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 can of coconut milk (approx. 400 ml)
- 1 pack of paneer (approx. 250 g)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
preparation
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the coriander seeds and green cardamom pods or ground cardamom (freshly ground is best) and fry the spices until they begin to smell fragrant.
- Add the chopped yellow onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add 1 piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped, and the chopped garlic cloves and fry briefly.
- Gradually add baby spinach and cook until the leaves are just wilted and still bright green. Don’t overcook the spinach!
- Remove the pot from the heat and season with the lime juice, the small green Indian chili peppers, coarsely chopped, and coarse salt.
- Allow to cool, then transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree into a smooth green paste.
- Return the mixture to the pot over low heat. Stir in coconut milk and then carefully fold in a packet of paneer, cut into cubes. Let sit for 5 minutes until the cheese is warmed through and has absorbed some of the sauce.
- Meanwhile, melt coconut oil in a small saucepan. Add cumin seeds and fry for a minute until they begin to smell fragrant.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in red chili powder.
- Pour the coconut oil mixture over the saag paneer and serve with rice.