Spinach Paneer Curry

Serves 3
Prep time approx. 7 minutes, cooking time approx. 25 mins
Nutrition per serving (approximately 225 g): Energy 1180 kJ (282 kcal), Protein 12.7 g, Fat total 17.7 g – saturated fat 8 g, Carbohydrate 14.8 g – sugars 6.6 g, Sodium 508 mg

Ingredients

9 cups spinach leaves, about 7 fresh bunches (see Note)

5 garlic cloves

1–2 tsp fresh red or green chilli (or chilli flakes)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large onion

160 ml lite coconut milk

200 g chickpeas

90 g paneer (30 g per person)

1–2 tsp salt to taste

½ cup reduced-fat yoghurt

Directions

Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil and thoroughly wash spinach leaves.

Add spinach leaves to the pot of boiling water and blanch. Once blanched remove from heat immediately and place in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the spinach using a colander.

Combine the blanched spinach, 3 cloves of garlic and chilli in a blender and blend to a smooth purée without using any water. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan. Chop up the remaining 2 garlic cloves and sauté on a medium heat for approximately 1 minute. Add the onion and sauté until clear. Add the spinach purée and coconut milk to the pan. Stir and leave to simmer.

Roughly chop the chickpeas in the blender and add to the spinach purée mixture.

Add the paneer cubes, mix gently and cook on medium heat until cooked through. Season with salt, to taste.

Serve hot with a dollop of the reduced fat yoghurt on the side and hummus wraps to mop it up. (Hummus wraps make a healthy substitute for parathas or naan.)

Notes

Frozen spinach portions can be used as a substitute for fresh spinach. Consider one frozen block to be equivalent to 1 cup of fresh.

I know five garlic cloves sounds like a lot, but I really believe this dish needs it for the depth of flavour. I’ve tried it with 4 and found it to be lacking.

Marsha Mackie