Palak Paneer Patties
(a Modern Twist on a Curry Classic)
Palak Paneer is curry dish centered around homemade cheese called "Paneer". This cheese is cut into cubes and sauteed in butter before adding to the tomato, spinach cream sauce that is then served over rice. Today I am sharing my twist on that recipe. I made the rice & cheese into patties and then poured the sauce over the patties.
Another twist is that I used homemade cottage cheese instead of homemade paneer (simply because it is more moist and is easier to form patties. Paneer and homemade cottage cheese have the same flavor - just the texture is different).
Below are links to both homemade cheeses (Paneer & cottage cheese):
Ingredients for Patties
3 cups homemade cottage cheese
2 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice (I used jasmine instead of basmati because jasmine is stickier and easier to form patties)(measure 2 1/2 cups after cooked)
1 egg (lightly whisked)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric (powder)
1/4 tsp Indian chili pepper (or cayenne) ground
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 onion (chopped and sauteed in olive oil with 1 tsp cumin seed)
flour for dredging
butter
Ingredients for Sauce/Gravy
other half of onion
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 quart home-canned whole tomatoes (drained)
1 cup heavy cream (or more if needed)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tblsp (or more) garam masala
Indian chili pepper to taste
1 whole cayenne pepper
salt to taste
1 tblsp honey
fresh cilantro to garnish on top
Begin by preparing the patty ingredients as listed: sauté the onion & cumin, cook the rice (make cheese at least the day before). In a large bowl combine the egg, cottage cheese and sauteed onion/cumin - stir until combined. Then add the spices and stir again. Finally, add the rice and stir until combined (see 3 pictures below):
Now form six equal patties (see below). Cover each patty with flour and then place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Dollop each patty with a little butter (top and bottom) (see picture below).
Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes on each side (or until desired golden brown color is achieved.
Sauce/Gravy Instructions
Sauté the other half of the onion (chopped), cumin & garlic in a little olive oil for a couple minutes (medium heat). Then add the frozen spinach and continue sautéing (see picture below).
Add the drained canned tomatoes - continue cooking and stirring occasionally (see picture below).
Add the rest of the spices and cook for a few minutes. Then add the cream and honey (see picture below).
Pour the chunky sauce into a deep bowl and blend using an immersible blender (remove whole cayenne pepper first) until it resembles the picture bottom left. Add the frozen peas and cook over low heat for a few minutes until the peas are cooked (see picture below). (NOTE - at this point if the sauce is not saucy enough then add some more heavy cream until your desired liquid consistency is achieved.
Once the patties have been baked on both sides, remove from the oven (see picture below).
Place a patty on each plate and pour the sauce covering the patty. Garnish with garden fresh cilantro (see pictures below).
Serve & ENJOY!
Linked to:
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You might be interested in watching this video:
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