▶️Saag refers to an Indian vegetable dish where spinach and other leafy greens (from amaranth leaves to water spinach, pumpkin leaves to mustard greens, fenugreek to roots, every place uses typical plants of the area), are stewed with ginger, garlic, chilies, and spices until soft.
▶️As the name suggests, saag paneer includes paneer, a vegan Indian cheese.
▶️It is a dish originating from Northern India, so important that it is one of the dishes offered to the god Jagannath in the Hindu temple dedicated to him in Puri (which is located in the Odisha region, the place of origin of Saag).
In the video below, I got help from the Palak Paneer mix from ITS SHOP, a similar preparation, but featuring only spinach (palak) and sometimes cream.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Indian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 9 oz paneer (or tofu)
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 10 oz spinach
- 10 oz leafy green vegetables
- to taste ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- to taste vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
Steps
Sauté the paneer cubes in vegetable oil. Set aside.
In a pot, sauté the onion in oil, add cumin, garlic, ginger, and garam masala.
Add spinach and other leafy green vegetables.
Blend the mixture with an immersion blender.
Add the paneer and water.
Let the water absorb for about 5 minutes.
Serve with Indian bread and/or Bathua cabbage.
FAQ
What is paneer? What cheese can I substitute for paneer?
Paneer is a type of fresh cheese primarily made from cow’s or buffalo’s milk, which is curdled using lemon juice or citric acid, separating the whey from the curds. Once the milk has curdled, the cheese is drained and pressed to achieve a firm consistency.
It contains lactose, although in lower quantities than other cheeses.
It is vegetarian because it does not contain animal rennet, which is a coagulant and is coagulated with food acids like lemon or vinegar.
In the recipe, it can be substituted with tofu.What are the differences between saag paneer and palak paneer?
Palak paneer is made with palak (spinach) and paneer, while saag paneer is made with various saag (leafy greens such as mustard, spinach, kale, radish, Chenopodium (Bathua), fenugreek leaves, etc.) and paneer.
In saag, blanching is avoided to preserve nutrients in the leafy greens.
Cream is not used in preparing saag paneer.
Palak paneer is more famous.
