Palak Paneer

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it. Push the spinach under the water and blanch it for 1–2 minutes, until it wilts and stays bright green. Lift it out into a bowl of iced water, cool it, and squeeze out the water. Blend the spinach with the chillies, 10 g of the ginger and the 100 ml of water to a smooth purée. Set it aside. Do not cook it further, or the colour turns dull.

• spinach600 g
• chilli2
• ginger10 g
• water100 mL
• saltto taste

Cut the paneer into 2 cm cubes. Heat 14 g of the ghee in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry the paneer for 4–6 minutes, turning it every minute, until pale golden on most sides. It should have a thin crust and stay soft inside. Do not fry it dark, or it turns rubbery. Lift it out onto a plate and leave the pan to cool a little before using it for the next step.

• paneer300 g
• ghee14 g

Heat the remaining 26 g of ghee in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the cumin and let it sizzle for 30 seconds. Add the finely chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 8–10 minutes, until golden. Stir in the remaining 15 g of grated ginger and the crushed garlic for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomato and the turmeric and cook for 5–6 minutes, until it has broken down and the ghee separates at the edges.

• ghee26 g
• cumin1 tsp
• onion1
• ginger15 g
• garlic4 cloves
• tomato150 g
• turmeric0.5 tsp
• saltto taste

Pour the spinach purée into the masala and stir. Simmer over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes, uncovered, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens and the raw taste is gone. It may spit, so keep the heat gentle. Stir in the garam masala and 80 ml of the cream. Taste and add salt. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and still be a bright, deep green.

• spinach600 g
• garam masala1 tsp
• cream80 mL
• saltto taste

Slide the fried paneer into the sauce and stir gently so the cubes do not break. Simmer for 3–4 minutes, just until the cubes are hot all the way through and have taken up some of the sauce. Take the pan off the heat. Pour the remaining 20 ml of cream in a thin swirl over the top. Serve at once, while the colour of the spinach is at its brightest.

• paneer300 g
• cream20 mL