Here’s a dish with condiments that is sure to please you vegetarian Indian food lovers….
Palak Paneer
Cut 1 pound of Paneer cheese or extra firm tofu into 2cm squares. If you use tofu, sautee it in 2 T olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned – set aside
Sautee one medium-sized onion in 3 T olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally
Once onions are caramelized, add 4 cloves of minced garlic
Add 2 more T olive oil and once heated add the following spices, stirring frequently:
1 t tumeric
1 t whole mustard seeds
1 t ground cardamom
1/4 t cayenne or chili pepper flakes
1 t chili powder
sautee the spices for 1 minute stirring constantly
Add 2 pounds of chopped frozen spinach (pre-thawed) and stir well
Add 1/2 c- 1 c cream and mix well into the spinach mix
Add Paneer cheese cubes or tofu cubes – mix everything together well, heat, but do not boil and serve over Basmathi Rice with homemade Raita and Apple Chutney – see recipes below
Raita
Grate 1/2 cucumber, place into a bowl and add 1 t salt, mix well and set aside
Pour 1 c plain yogurt into small bowl
Add salt and pepper to taste
dice 2 cloves of garlic and add to the yogurt
drain the grated cucumber and add to yogurt, mix well
Serve as a condiment with Palak Paneer or other Indian dishes
Apple Chutney
Peel and core 2 pounds of apples
cut into small pieces and place into saucepan
add 1/2 c brown sugar
1 medium diced onion
4 cloves diced garlic
1/2 apple cider vinegar
1/2 t chili pepper flakes
1/2 raisins or chopped dates
1 t mustard seeds
bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally
Add more apple cider vinegar or a bit of water if too much liquid evaporates
Cool and serve as condiment with Palak Paneer or other Indian dishes
You can refrigerate what is left-over, it keeps for a long time
