Swiss Chard Paneer

Next weekend will be the weekend when we will turn our thoughts to the festive season.  Its the weekend we will also bring down the Christmas tree and decorations from the attic.. but this weekend is a lazy weekend.  So lazy that I have nothing of interest to share, I feel zapped and lacking both energy and enthusiasm.  I hope the festive season injects some pizazz into me! 

I made this Swiss Chard Paneer early this month.  Its an adaptation of Saag or Palak (Spinach) Paneer that you often find at South Asian take-aways and restaurants.

The rainbow chard came from my garden.  There is still plenty to harvest.  

The pan roasted paneer made for a change.  I normally just throw it in the dish and let it warm through, but fancied being a little bit naughty.  You can see the brand of paneer cheese I used if you visit my In My Kitchen blog post.  This was a gorgeous dish to eat with rice, the chard had softened so much that it coated the paneer like silk.  

So this recipe is my contribution to the last edition of  Eat Your Greens challenge that I co-hosted with The VegHog.  There is still time to join in if you want.  Follow this link on how to participate. 

Recipe below

Red Tomato, Fenugreek, Paneer Coconut Curry

Over the weekend, we cleared the greenhouse and harvested the last of the ripe red tomatoes and some of the green, the rest were removed and burned.

Vegetarian Sarson Ka Saag, Potato, Paneer and Pea Pie

I made this Sarson Ka Saag, Potato, Paneer and Pea Pie filling during British Pie Week (7th - 13th March 2016)  and then lost Internet connection for five days so could not share the recipe with you then.  

I don't want to be pedantic, but many people make a mistake of thinking Spinach is Saag.  It is not and sadly many people of South Asian heritage continue to perpetuate this.  Why I am not sure, perhaps because they don't know their greens!  So let me tell you, Saag is mustard greens and Palak is Spinach.  See THIS blog link if you wish to learn more. 

Saag is a dish I used to resent eating when I was a child, all green and mushy.  Now there are days when I hanker for the siliky green thick sauce.  My way of cooking Sarsan Ka Saag is in no way authentic, as the authentic way is time consuming, so I rely on tinned Sarsan Ka Saag.  This recipe is my lazy version made with tinned Sarsan Ka Saag but the memories of eating it are rooted in my childhood days and evoke happy and carefree times.

Although you could eat this filling as a curry with rice or an Indian style bread.  The filling is actually extremely versatile as its not sloppy. 

So here are some suggestions: Make a Indo-Greek Spanakopita with filo pastry; Indian Samosas or individual small hand pies (see below).  Or wrap it in a Pakistani roti. Punjabi chappati or Mexican tortilla or slather it over an Indian naan bread and call it a pizza!   Or you could simply make one large pie and top it with puff pastry or make individual Pot Pies!  

I have to admit that I was partly inspired by the rather pretty Rejina Sabur-Cross aka The Gastro Geek  for this recipe.   A couple of years back she made Aloo Saag Pies.  We have similar ingredients, but our approach to making the filling is different.  She uses tamarind.  I don't but if you want you could dollop a tablespoon or two of sweet mango chutney, but its not essential. 

I used tinned Sarson Ka Saag.  there is no way I will ever attempt making saag from scratch at home.  See here why?! I either wait for my mother or sister-in-laws to make some and offer me some, or buy it in tins and then I adapt it to my taste.  I  won't begrudge you if you used tinned spinach - just call it Palak.... please.  I am sharing this with Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching for Spice; and Inheritance Recipes challenge co hosted by Solange at Pebble Soup and Coffee and Vanilla.  

Roasted Cauliflower, Beetroot and Paneer Curry with Nigella Seeds

D was exited when I told him what he was going to have for supper.
'Two of my favourite vegetables: Cauliflower and Beetroot - what's not to like?!' '
'The paneer' I added.  
'Oh I don't mind that' 

Its been a while since I have made a Beetroot Curry, so that is what I had decided to make with the beetroot that I had picked up from the Fruit Machine Grocery van.   This could have easily been a plain Beetroot Curry, but I remembered having a cauliflower in the fridge and some paneer, which I purchased a few weeks back.  So these were to form part of the dish.  

If you don't like paneer,  halloumi would also work, but paneer has more relevance to a curry style dish.  Of course if your vegan, you can easily replace tofu for the paneer and make this dish suitable for vegans.  The paneer was more for texture than anything else, plus it looked rather enigmatic nestled next to the cauliflower that was brilliantly dyed naturally crimson from the beetroot. 

When I went to plate the dish up, I thought it needed something else and that was done with a light scattering of nigella seeds known to me as kolonji seeds. I know its a small thing, but it finished the dish off beautifully.   If you don't have nigells seeds then black sesame seeds would work well too.   

I thought I had overdone it with the spices, as I don't really measure chilli and tend to do it by eye and set the tabl with a bowl of natural yogurt t cool down.  But with the plain Basmati rice, it was not necessary - it all seemed to balance out very well.  

And there was plenty left for the following day.  Let me know if you want to try the recipe and I will post it.  I am sharing this with Fabulous Foodie Fridays hosted by Bake Play Smile and Create Bake Make; Gluten Free Fridays hosted by Vegetarian Mama; Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays; and Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary for Shop Local challenge.

Watermelon Curry

Well the rain has come back with a vengeance, but I'm not bothered I will have tucked into this warming bowl of Watermelon Curry studded with black beans and paneer. 

After enjoying Celia's Rhubarb and Lentil Curry last year, and the Pineapple Curry more recently, I was not at all put off by the idea of an exotic fruit in Curry.

This is a South Asian recipe originally from Rajastan, India. A version of it was popularised in Camellia Panjabi's 50 Great Curries of India. You will also find variations of this Watermelon Curry on blogosphere, especially on blogs based in the South Indian Subcontinent.

There is also a Watermelon Curry by Roopa Gulati.  There was a time when the only South Asian female cook you would see on British TV was Madhur Jaffrey, but now there are a whole host of South Asian cooks showcasing their culinary twists on South Asian cuisine.  For me personally, Roopa Gulati was one of the first South Asian food writers to fuse British and South Asian flavours and this was greatly encouraging for someone like me doing it at home.  For example, she created a spiced version of Shepherds or Cottage Pie, Roast Potatoes with Chilli, Cumin Carrots and Yorkshire Puddings via the Punjab. 

Oh I digress, but before I return to the 'Watermelon, Paneer and Black Bean Curry' - Did you know that you can actually use the rind from the watermelon too. There is a Pakistani recipe called Tarbuz Ka Cheelka Salan (Watermelon Rind curry) that does exactly that.  Its a very frugal recipe, but I didin't fancy another curry.  Instead I made other plans for the rind.  I was going to pickle the watermelon rind, except when I turned around my Darling husband in his haste to clean up after me, had already disposed of them.

You would think the addition of  the watermelon to a curry would make the dish sweet, but you would be completely wrong.  There is a sweetness, but it is balanced wonderfully with the spices.  The lightly spiced sauce is red not from tomatoes or the spices, but from blended watermelon chunks.  The black beans and paneer add colour, but also soft and chewy textures.  When you bite into a watermelon chunk, the juices are released and slowly run down the back of your throat.  The sensation is amazing as it's sweet-spicy and cooling.  The flavours certainly do linger on your tongue.  We have so much left over, that I think am going to make some roti's aka chapatti tomorrow (and if I'm lazy a tortilla wrap will do), and then roll it up like a cone to cup the filling, but today it was simply enjoyed with Basmati rice.

To encourage you to try this recipe, I can describe it to you as a variation of a Vegetarian Chilli Bean, but in place of the potatoes, pumpkin or sweet potato, there are chunks of watermelon. This recipe can easily be veganized too, but substituting the paneer with tofu.

Watermelon, Paneer and Black Bean Curry
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
200g dried turtle black beans; or 1 x 400g tin of cooked black beans
1 large watermelon, peeled and large seeds removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 inch fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ teaspoons chilli flakes, chilli powder or 2 red chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
4 teaspoons ground coriander
250g paneer or firm tofu, cut into even size cubes
Salt to taste
Method
Cook the black beans according to packet instructions until tender, drain and set aside.
In a food processor, blend all but 500g of the watermelon.  Dice the remaining watermelon and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and when hot, gently cook the onions, ginger and garlic until soft.
Add the spices and cook for a further minute, or until fragrant. Then pour in the liquidised watermelon juice, bring to the boil, and then simmer until reduced by half.  (If you have cooked the black beans from scratch and I had, then add them at this stage).
While the watermelon sauce is thickening, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, and add the paneer and fry over medium heat until golden on all sides.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  Once the curry has reduced, stir in the beans, the paneer and the diced watermelon to the curry and gently heat through.  Season with salt and serve immediately. Adapted from Maria Elia Modern Vegetarian.  Her original version of Watermelon curry had been made a with seafood.