Saag Paneer over Turmeric Rice

Saag paneer is a spinach-based dish combined which combines fragrant spices with paneer, a rubbery Indian cheese. If you can’t find paneer, then halloumi, the rubbery Greek cheese can easily be swapped in its place.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword cheese, rice, saag, spinach, turmeric, vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Servings

Calories 432kcal

Ingredients

For the saag paneer:

1½ pounds baby spinach
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or ghee)
1 medium white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 small Thai birdseye chilies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Kosher salt, to taste
1 cup vegetable stock
½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
6 ounces paneer, cut into ¼” thick, 1” cubes

For the turmeric rice:

2 tablespoons ghee (or unsalted butter)
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup basmati rice
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1½ cups vegetable stock
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Naan, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the saag paneer:

Bring a large pot of water over medium-high heat to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch until bright green and tender, about 30 seconds.
Remove spinach to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the spinach then squeeze out excess water.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and chili and cook for an additional minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garam masala, coriander, and turmeric, stirring to cook the spices for just a few seconds.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the spinach to the pan. Stir together the spinach mixture and vegetable stock and cook until the greens are soft and deep green and most of the vegetable stock has been absorbed, about 4 minutes.
Add the mixture to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until a coarse paste forms (should look similar to pesto). Return to the pan then stir in the yogurt.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the paneer and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute, then flip the pieces and repeat on the other side, cooking about an additional 1 minute.
Remove the paneer and add to the saag mixture.

For the turmeric rice:

Heat medium saucepan over medium heat, add the ghee and allow to melt. Add the shallot and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, for an additional minute. Add the basmati rice and turmeric powder, stirring to coat the rice and sautéing for 30 seconds to toast the rice.
Add the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer the rice until all the stock has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and fluff with a fork.

For serving:

To serve, divide the rice among bowls. Ladle the saag paneer over the rice. Serve with warmed naan on the side (or omit for a gluten free version).

Nutrition