Palak Paneer with Butter Naan

Few months back if someone had told me I would be relishing Butter Naans with Palak Paneer,I would have smiled and disagreed with them.I mean,is there any other combo which works well with naan other than Paneer Butter Masala??I doubt.I wasn't much of a Greens fan too,remember.But boy,I was wrong.Ever since I made Palak Pathrodo,I've become an instant convert and I am looking for Palak recipes like never before.

While we were in Bangalore,my Vanni made an awesome soup with Spinach and I realized one thing.If the taste was masked with other flavors,I had absolutely no problems in consuming greens.I dislike greens stir-fry/thoran etc because it so much feels like I am eating some kind of uncooked leaf!!But with Spinach based dishes,it isn't so.I had cleaned and frozen a bunch of Spinach and was looking for a good [and easy!]Palak paneer recipe.I found one at showmethecurry.com.Absolutely delicious and a perfect combo with Naan[after PBM,of course!]

For the Butter Naan,I followed Rak's recipe from Rak's kitchen,as I was looking for a recipe without yeast and which didn't require cooking in the oven/grill.I loved the ease of the recipe.The resulting naans were super soft and perfect.I did not make any changes,just halved the recipe and got around 6 naans of medium size.

Palak Paneer 

Recipe source - Hetal & Anuja at showmethecurry.com

Ingredients
 

Spinach - 1, 16oz pkt chopped, frozen (about 1/2 kg)

Paneer- 7 oz or 200 g
Oil – 3 tbsp
Onions – 2 med, minced
Ginger – 1″ pc, minced
Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
Water – 1/2 cup
Tomatoes – 2 large or 1, 14oz can diced (pureed)
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
Red Chili Powder – to taste
Salt - to taste
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Heavy Whipping Cream – 8 tbsp or to taste [ I used Milk]
Milk – to taste (optional)

Method

Cook frozen Spinach with 1/2 cup Water in a microwave safe dish for 7-8 minutes stirring in between.

Blend cooked Spinach to desired texture (avoid over-blending).

Heat 2 tbsp Oil in a medium non-stick pan on high heat.

Once Oil is hot, add in the minced Onions, stir, cover and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in the Ginger and Garlic and mix. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add in the Tomates, cover and cook till the oil seperates from the mixture.

Keep stirring frequently as the Masala (Onion, Tomato, Ginger & Garlic mixture) tends to burn very fast.

While the Masala is cooking, cube the paneer to desired size…1/2″ cubes work well.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp Oil.

Once Oil is hot, add in the paneer cubes and let them cook till they are golden brown on all sides.

Remove from the pan into a plate with paper towel to soak the excess oil.

In a couple of minutes, pour the Paneer into a bowl of cold water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, once the Masala is prepared, add in the mashed Spinach.

Mix and add the Garam Masala, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt, Chili Powder & Turmeric Powder.

Mix well and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add in the desired amount of Cream and /or Milk. Mix and cook for another few minutes.

Gently squeeze the water out of the Paneer and put the Paneer in the Spinach.

Mix gently and serve hot.

Butter Naan [On the Tawa,without Yeast]

Recipe source - Raks of Raks Kitchen]

Ingredients

Maida - 1 cup

Thick curds - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Sugar -1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Melted Ghee - 2 tsp

Method

Sift together maida,baking powder and baking soda thrice.

In a mixing bowl,add the sifted flour mix and make a small well.

Pour in the milk,curds,salt and sugar and knead gently to make a smooth dough.

Keep aside covered for 2-3 hours.

Make even sized balls of the dough and start rolling to make an oblong shape or a tear drop shape[this is optional].

Apply few drops of water on one side of the naan and flip over to a hot tawa[so that the portion to which water was applied sticks to the tava].

Cover and cook for a minute and then flip the naan to cook/brown the other side too.

Apply butter/ghee to both sides and serve hot with a curry of your choice.