This is a great spinach recipe packed full of flavor. I get tired of traditional ways of cooking with olive oil and garlic and needed to mix it up. If you are vegan and do not want to do cheese you can substitute the cheese with tofu.
Recipe
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil or oil of choice
12 ounces paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes, or 12 ounces tofu cut into 1-inch cubes
1-2 (16-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano chile, finely chopped (seeds removed if you don’t like it spicy!)
1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer or tofu and gently toss. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
2. Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with oil add the paneer and cook until browned on one side. Flip the paneer over and cook until other side if brown. Once finished, move onto a plate.
3. Add additional oil to the pan if needed. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. Saute the mixture until golden brown; about 10-15 minutes. Don’t skip this step – this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
4. Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven’t already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, scent of the spices cook out, about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the spinach and stir well, making sure spiced onion mixture is well incorporated into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes.
5. Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt slowly to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer turn the heat back on until warmed through.
Enjoy!