Palak Paneer the quick way – ready in under half hour and still retaining its green color along with all its nutrients. With the ease of readily available frozen paneer cubes of Nanak ( my preferred brand) , whisking this very appetizing entree in a jiffy is a breeze. Specially needed when you are wanting something like a restaurant food but made at home, to cheer up your spirits. You are just too lazy to go out, but still want something tasty without much efforts.
Combination of Palak and Paneer or Spinach and cottage cheese is a very delectable one,, often found in samosa, pies, calzones, artisan pizzas-to name a few so am not surprised that this is also a very popular dish in the Indian menu and liked by all including those trying out Indian cuisine for the first time.
Healthy dose of calcium, folate and vitamin c will chase those blues away for sure! And when accompanied by fancy layered paratha, the combination is suddenly more appetizing. If you do not have the time, opt for the Malaysian Parathas or Kawan Parathas and your meal is ready to enjoy! When I was able to get a layered look, closely resembling the Kawan Paratha look, I felt good in being able to “crack the layer” in the layered paratha and on cooking, the paratha remained soft, even though it was made of whole wheat flour.
Soft Parathas with Palak Paneer or Spinach and Cottage cheese and you evening meal is quick, satisfying . A feel good meal as you savour the cottage cheese paneer with the slightly leafy grainy texture of Spinach with ginger and chillies .giving it a fulfilling taste.
Recipe makes 1-2 people
Cooking time 30 min
Prep time 5 min
Ingredients
For Palak Paneer
- 1 bunch of Palak (Spinach)
- 5-6 Paneer Cubers ( Cottage Cheese)- Nanak brand preferred
- 1 inch ginger
- 1-2 green chillies
- pinch of asofoetida
- 1/2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
For layered paratha
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- pinch of salt
- water about cup to cup and a half
- ghee (clarified butter) approx half a cup
Method
- Bring about a liter of water to boil in a deep pan on a medium high flame.
- Medium chop the Spinach and wash in plenty of water and drain.
- As the water boils, add spinach and cook for 5-6 min.
- Using a tea strainer, remove the boiled spinach immediately from the water and let it drain.
- Grind the chillies and ginger in a mortar pestle
- Put the oil to heat in abroad pan.
- Once the oil heats, add the ginger chillies paste and saute for a minute on a medium, stirring and making sure it does not burn.
- Add the boiled spinach/ palak /tomato paste to the seasoning.
- Cook on medium flame for 6 min.
- Put a bowl of water to heat in a microwave for 2 minute
- Add the frozen paneer cubes or cottage cheese to the boiled water.
- Let the paneer soften for 5 min.
- Remove and make even square pieces, if the cubes are too big. Otherwise, just toss the warm paneer cottage cheese into the palak spinach and cook for 3-4 min on a medium flame.
- Serve hot with layered Paratha or bread of your choice.
Layered Paratha
- Take a quarter cup size round ball of dough
- On a rolling board, make a flat round about 8 inches wide.
- Grease the top with ghee, spread evenly all around.
- Start rolling inwards from the top of the flat circle .
- Once you finish rolling, make a spiral circle out of the this.
- This spiral circles will make layers when cooked.
- Roll again to an 8 inch wide flat circle.
- Grease a thick tawa or griddle.
- Lay the rolled side down onto the tawa to cook on a medium flame.
- Once golden spots appear, flip it over and grease with some ghee.
- Cook the other side similarly until you see some layers in the paratha.
- Serve warm with Palak Paneer or Spinach and Cottage Cheese.
Tips
If the dough is too stiff, the paratha will become crispier. A softer dough will help the paratha bread to turn out softer.
To match the taste and texture of restaurant or malaysian parathas, use plain flour instead of wheat flour
Instinct Factor
Layered paratha bread is little tricky to cook, but trust your instinct in knowing it right. Medium flame and soft dough will give you the best results.
Feel Factor
In the Palak Paneer with Layered Paratha, The crispy look with soft taste of the layered paratha bread with the colorful green palak paneer or Spinach and Cottage cheese is a mouth watering combination .This is a visually appealing and highly appetizing meal that fulfills your appetite and cravings for a tasty yummy meal! The spice of chilli ginger in Palak Paneer or Spinach Cottage cheese gives it just the right zing to make it an appetizing entree and when you are successful in cooking the layered paratha correctly, you just raised the bar!
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