Another lockdown recipe which doubles up for two meals if cooked in a sufficient quantity is Palak paneer.
One can pair it as a subzi with phulkas or mix it with rice turning it into a palak paneer rice dish. It’s easy to make and quite satiating.

Ingredients:
- Paneer 300gms
- Palak two medium sized bunches
- Onions, 2
- Tomatoes, 2
- A tbsp. Of filtered groundnut or any cooking oil
For the masala:
- Whole masalas:
- Few cloves
- Few peppercorns
- A couple of small bay leaves (tejapatta)
- Jeera
- A few cardamom pods
- A piece of cinnamon
- Cashew, soaked – 6 to 7
- Ginger, Garlic and Green chilli pounded to a coarse paste
- Ground/powdered masalas:
- Dhaniya powder
- Amchur powder (dry mango powder)
- Kasuri methi
- Hing
- Ground mustard powder (a tiny amount)
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste
Method:
- Cut paneer into cubes and set it aside
- Keep aside a large-ish piece to grate into the dish once done
- Blanch the spinach and set it aside
- Temper all the Dry whole masalas viz. Jeera, Bay leaves, cardamom etc. and then add the ginger, garlic and green chilli paste
- Add the soaked cashews and sauté for a minute
- Add the onions and tomatoes and sauté for a few more minutes
- Add salt and sugar to taste
- Add the powdered masalas viz. Dhaniya powder, hing, Amchur and sauté the mix until cooked and mushy, this should take a few more minutes
- Set it aside
- In a mixer pop in the cooked masala with the blanched spinach with some water and purée it
- To a hot wok or kadhai transfer the puréed palak masala and add the cubes paneer
- Check on the salt and sugar
- Serve with diced onions and a wedge of lime
- Enjoy with hot phulkas or rice