This is a triumph!
11 July 2010 09:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
3rdragonI'm very fond of the spinach dish served in Indian restaurants as saag, or sometimes sag. I like it with meat, I like it with chickpeas, I like it with paneer (a soft white cheese). I've been trying to reproduce it for over a year, generally with limited success. A couple of weeks ago, while babysitting my cousins, I came across the cookbook From Mom with Love: The Complete Guide to Indian Cooking and Entertaining. And since I'm always looking for new saag recipes, I investigated, and found that it did indeed contain a recipe for saag paneer.
So, last week, armed with the recipe and bunch of our Henry Got Crops kale, I tried the new recipe. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the local food coop sells the spice mix garam masala, so I did not need to make it myself in dad's coffee grinder from bay leaves and cinnamon sticks and other hard spices. I made paneer with the guidance of this blog and a brief discussion with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rumorofrain (my one comment on that page is that the first time I tried it I didn't realize that the milk needs to really get to a full, roiling boil, not just a halfhearted sort-of boil. Also, having actual cheesecloth really helps). My first attempt was quite satisfactory; the flavor was pretty close, and it both looked and smelled like the dish I was trying to reproduce, which is closer than I had gotten with anything else. It did, however, still taste rather strongly of kale, so on Friday I tried again with the second half of my homemade paneer and this week's CSA rainbow chard. And it was very good. My mother agreed. My one regret is that the chard was so pretty, it was rather a shame to blend it all. Today I tried feeding a lamb version made with beet greens to my famously vegetable-averse brother. And he liked it. He told me so. Furthermore, he ate three servings.
I think that this recipe has Arrived. So I will share it with all of you
Saag Paneer or Lamb Saag
1 bunch greens (or the original recipe called for 10 oz frozen spinach)
1 cup paneer cubes or some lamb
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garam masala
3/4 c. precooked masala (recipe below)
1/2+ c. water
Lightly steam the greens. Meanwhile, start frying paneer or cooking meat (see below). Put 1/2 c. water in blender, add a dollop of greens, and blend until smooth. Add greens in small quantities and blend until all greens are blended (add more water if you're having trouble blending). You can add the steaming water, too, if you like. Add the precooked masala and blend or mix. Pour your green glop back into the pan on low heat and add salt and garam masala. Stir as necessary. Mix in meat or paneer. Serve over rice, or with bread, or just eat it by itself.
If using paneer, fry cubes in a small quantity of oil over medium heat (the goal is to brown the outside a bit but not burn it to the pan; you may need to play with temperature to get something that works).
If using lamb (I used two lamb chops cut into cubes, which was a little unnecessary since I think I just wanted something along the lines of stew mutton, but that's what mom could find at the store. Anyway, I think one would have been fine if we weren't feeding my-brother-the-carnivore), cube and cook in just enough oil to keep it from sticking to the pan at first. Add some garam masala (a teaspoon? A teaspoon and a half?). Stir periodically until meat is cooked through.
Precooked Masala
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
28 oz canned tomatoes, crushed
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t/ turmeric
1/2 t red chili powder
1/2 t cumin seeds
4 t coriander
1/2 t garam masala
4 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 black cardamoms
1/2 t paprika
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
2 small pieces of ginger
1 large green chili
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c. oil (less)
(I didn't have quite everything, and skipped the green chili, but that's close to what I used.)
Mince onions, garlic and ginger (and chili, if you're using one). The original recipe said to use a food processor to turn it into paste, but my blender wasn't up for that.
Heat oil in saucepan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamons. After a bit ("when cumin seeds start to pop," but they seemed to be popping when I put them in, so I left them longer than that), add onions etc and powdered spices. Cook on medium-low until onions are translucent and yummy-looking. Add tomatoes and stir. Cover and let cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When oil separates from rest of the sauce, the masala is done. I tossed everything in the blender at this point.
I've made the recipe three times and used perhaps half of my precooked masala. The recipe book suggested freezing it in baggies in quantities of 3/4 c.
So, last week, armed with the recipe and bunch of our Henry Got Crops kale, I tried the new recipe. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the local food coop sells the spice mix garam masala, so I did not need to make it myself in dad's coffee grinder from bay leaves and cinnamon sticks and other hard spices. I made paneer with the guidance of this blog and a brief discussion with
rumorofrain (my one comment on that page is that the first time I tried it I didn't realize that the milk needs to really get to a full, roiling boil, not just a halfhearted sort-of boil. Also, having actual cheesecloth really helps). My first attempt was quite satisfactory; the flavor was pretty close, and it both looked and smelled like the dish I was trying to reproduce, which is closer than I had gotten with anything else. It did, however, still taste rather strongly of kale, so on Friday I tried again with the second half of my homemade paneer and this week's CSA rainbow chard. And it was very good. My mother agreed. My one regret is that the chard was so pretty, it was rather a shame to blend it all. Today I tried feeding a lamb version made with beet greens to my famously vegetable-averse brother. And he liked it. He told me so. Furthermore, he ate three servings. I think that this recipe has Arrived. So I will share it with all of you
Saag Paneer or Lamb Saag
1 bunch greens (or the original recipe called for 10 oz frozen spinach)
1 cup paneer cubes or some lamb
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garam masala
3/4 c. precooked masala (recipe below)
1/2+ c. water
Lightly steam the greens. Meanwhile, start frying paneer or cooking meat (see below). Put 1/2 c. water in blender, add a dollop of greens, and blend until smooth. Add greens in small quantities and blend until all greens are blended (add more water if you're having trouble blending). You can add the steaming water, too, if you like. Add the precooked masala and blend or mix. Pour your green glop back into the pan on low heat and add salt and garam masala. Stir as necessary. Mix in meat or paneer. Serve over rice, or with bread, or just eat it by itself.
If using paneer, fry cubes in a small quantity of oil over medium heat (the goal is to brown the outside a bit but not burn it to the pan; you may need to play with temperature to get something that works).
If using lamb (I used two lamb chops cut into cubes, which was a little unnecessary since I think I just wanted something along the lines of stew mutton, but that's what mom could find at the store. Anyway, I think one would have been fine if we weren't feeding my-brother-the-carnivore), cube and cook in just enough oil to keep it from sticking to the pan at first. Add some garam masala (a teaspoon? A teaspoon and a half?). Stir periodically until meat is cooked through.
Precooked Masala
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
28 oz canned tomatoes, crushed
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t/ turmeric
1/2 t red chili powder
1/2 t cumin seeds
4 t coriander
1/2 t garam masala
4 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 black cardamoms
1/2 t paprika
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
2 small pieces of ginger
1 large green chili
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c. oil (less)
(I didn't have quite everything, and skipped the green chili, but that's close to what I used.)
Mince onions, garlic and ginger (and chili, if you're using one). The original recipe said to use a food processor to turn it into paste, but my blender wasn't up for that.
Heat oil in saucepan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamons. After a bit ("when cumin seeds start to pop," but they seemed to be popping when I put them in, so I left them longer than that), add onions etc and powdered spices. Cook on medium-low until onions are translucent and yummy-looking. Add tomatoes and stir. Cover and let cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When oil separates from rest of the sauce, the masala is done. I tossed everything in the blender at this point.
I've made the recipe three times and used perhaps half of my precooked masala. The recipe book suggested freezing it in baggies in quantities of 3/4 c.
