WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Saag paneer, a spicy pureed spinach mixture withsoft cubes of creamy fresh cheese, is an Indian restaurant classic. We found that re-creating this dish at home wasn’t as difficult as we expected. We made our own cheese by heating whole milk and buttermilk, squeezing the
curds of excess moisture, then weighting the cheese down until it was firm enough to slice. For the spinach sauce, instead of cooking the spinach in batches on the stovetop, we simply wilted it all in the microwave. Adding the mustard greens lent additional complexity that worked well with the warm spices. Leaving some water clinging to the spinach and mustard green leaves after rinsing helped encourage steam when cooking. Canned diced tomatoes brightened the dish, and buttery cashews—both pureed and chopped—gave our dish a subtle nutty richness. To ensure that the cheese is firm, wring it tightly in step 2 and use two plates that nestle together snugly. Fifteen ounces of flat-leaf spinach can be substituted for the curly-leaf spinach, but do not use baby spinach because it is much too delicate
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
CHEESE:
- 3 quarts whole milk
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon salt
SPINACH SAUCE:
- 10 ounces curly-leaf spinach, stemmed
- 12 ounces mustard greens, stemmed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- Salt and pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and chopped
- ½ cup cashews, toasted and chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS:
- FOR THE CHEESE
- Line colander with triple layer of cheesecloth and set in sink.
- Bring milk to boil in Dutch oven.
- Off heat, whisk in buttermilk and salt and let sit for 1 minute.
- Pour milk mixture through cheesecloth and let curds drain for 15 minutes.
- Pull edges of cheesecloth together to form pouch.
- Twist edges of cheesecloth together, firmly squeezing out as much liquid as possible.
- Place taut, twisted cheese pouch between 2 large plates and weight down with heavy Dutch oven.
- Set aside at room temperature until cheese is firm and set, about 45 minutes, then remove cheesecloth.
- Cut cheese into ½-inch pieces; set aside.
- FOR THE SPINACH SAUCE
- Microwave spinach in covered bowl until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Let cool slightly, then chop enough spinach to measure ⅓ cup.
- Transfer remaining spinach to blender.
- Microwave mustard greens in covered bowl until wilted, about 4 minutes.
- Let cool slightly, then chop enough mustard greens to measure ⅓ cup, and combine with chopped spinach; set aside.
- Transfer remaining mustard greens to blender with remaining spinach; set aside.
- Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add cumin seeds, coriander, paprika, cardamom, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add onion and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, ginger, and jalapeño and cook until lightly browned and just beginning to stick to pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and cook until pan is dry and tomatoes are beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat.
- Transfer half of onion mixture, ¼ cup cashews, and water to blender with greens and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Stir puree, chopped greens, and buttermilk into skillet with remaining onion mixture and bring to simmer over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until flavors have blended, 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Gently fold in cheese cubes and cook until just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cashews and cilantro, and serve.
