Taste of "Indian-ish" Saag (Cooked Spinach)

There's so much media buzz around the new cookbook, Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family by Priya Krishna, I had to check it out. From the introduction by Padma Lakshmi:

“A great starter book for anyone who has ever wondered how to make basic Indian food in an American kitchen. Priya and Ritu’s methods are approachable, easy to execute, and employ everything from microwaves to Instant Pots, because that is the way most Americans do things now.”

I was excited to find an accessible recipe for “Spinach and Feta Cooked Like Saag Paneer." While overall the dish was good, a few of us had some issues with the whole coriander seeds as well as with the cheese. After checking with the chef at a favorite local Indian restaurant, the recipe evolved into a more traditional Saag Paneer (below). For the Indian-ish recipe shown in the photo, see the link here. In any case, do check out this fun cookbook and try some of the recipes for yourself!

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4.5 Persimmons

Ingredients:

Image & book from Amazon here

1/4 cup ghee OR avocado or coconut oil (for non-dairy)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon ginger, minced

1 pound fresh baby spinach
1 Tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and crushed in mortar and pestle
1 medium chopped green serrano chili, seeds removed, about 1 Tablespoon
Juice from 1/2 lime
3/4 to 1 Teaspoon of fine sea salt

1/2 cup water

2 Tablespoons ghee OR avocado or coconut oil (for non-dairy), separated
1 Teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 Teaspoon red chili flakes (more or less for personal preference)
8 oz. paneer, cut in 1/2" cubes (omit for dairy-free)

Frozen Paneer available here,
or at your local Indian Market
(Viks Chaat and Market, Berkeley CA)

Directions:

1. Brown the coriander seeds in a small dry hot frying pan just until the color turns and they are aromatic, about 1 minute. Cool, finely grind with a mortar and pestle and set aside.

2. If you need to make ghee, melt 1/2 cup of grass-fed butter over medium heat; remove the white milk solids as it cools and pour into a measuring cup (should yield almost 1/2 a cup).

3. Heat 1/4 cup of the ghee or oil in a dutch oven. Add the onion and cook through until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the chopped garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute.

5. Add the spinach, about 1/4 at a time, reserved crushed coriander seeds. Fold over frequently to mix the onions and butter with spinach, and cook just until the spinach wilts in the pan (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and add the chopped serano chili, lime juice and salt. Stir to combine. Add the spinach mixture to a blender and puree until it turns into a chunky paste (just a few seconds). Taste for salt. Return the spinach to the dutch oven. Add 1/2 cup water and stir to mix.

6. In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. Toast for about 1 minute, then add enough paneer pieces to cover the bottom of the pan. As they brown, add the paneer pieces to the spinach mixture. Cook the remainder of the paneer pieces in the same frying pan, adding more butter or oil as necessary. When all of the paneer pieces are browned, add them and the butter or oil and spices to the spinach. Taste for seasonings.

Serve as a side dish or main course.

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Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit online here.

My Paleo Marin Rating 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.