CREAMY PALAK PANEER WITH CASHEW BUTTER

Paneer is a fresh cheese used in Indian cooking, known for its mild flavour and firm texture. We love pan-frying it until golden before nestling it into a creamy spinach sauce. Here, our Cashew Butter Sea Salt gives the sauce its rich, silky texture. For a vegan version, you can replace the paneer with tofu. Halloumi would also work well, but you’ll want to reduce the salt in the sauce, since it’s already quite salty. And even though it’s not very traditional, we love serving this dish with a big handful of fresh herbs for a brighter, more summery touch. Serve it with rice or naan.

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 600 g paneer, cut into 24 cubes of about 1 in x 1 ½ in
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 2 small tomatoes, roughly chopped — about 230 g
• 300 g frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1 tbsp Cashew Butter Sea Salt
• 1 cup water
• 4 tbsp oil, divided
• Fresh herbs, for garnish — mint, cilantro, basil, or a mix of all three

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, then cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Add the cumin, turmeric, garam masala, and salt. Cook for 1 minute, just enough to wake up the spices and make them fragrant.
3. Add the tomatoes, spinach, cashew butter, and water. Stir, then cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until the tomatoes start to soften.
4. Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and let it simmer gently over very low heat while you cook the paneer.
5. In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil over medium-low heat. Add the paneer cubes and cook for about 2 minutes per side — ideally on all 6 sides — until golden on the outside but still tender in the centre.
6. Spoon the desired amount of sauce into the bottom of a shallow bowl. Top with the golden paneer cubes, then garnish generously with fresh herbs.
7. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

NOTES
The recipe makes a generous amount of sauce. Since it cooks separately, you can easily reheat it for leftovers, then brown fresh cubes of paneer in a pan just before serving. If you already have seared paneer cubes, simply reheat them in the oven on a baking sheet for 5 to 7 minutes at 325°F. Then all that’s left to do is plate everything the same way.