Palak Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese with Spinach

I still remember I have posted this recipe long back, back then also I used to like my palak paneer without tomatoes, even today it is the same, only thing that changed is the masalas/spices that I used then and now, and another thing is Paneer I used to fry, but now I like them without frying. Well I guess it is not only me, there are many who like their Palak Paneer green, I feel adding tomatoes change the color, also cooking the spinach leaves for long and covered cooking turn them to a different green color which I don't prefer. So here goes my new version now unlike the old way of palak paneer which is a family favorite since more than a year now😉

Ingredients:

Spinach -Around 400-500gms
Cottage cheese/Paneer - around 300gms
Red onion - 2
Milk - 1 ½ cups
Garlic- 4-5
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chillies- 2
Any cooking oil or ghee - 2 tbsp.
Lemon juice-2 tsp.

Dry ingredients for spices
Black pepper - 6-8.
Black salt - ½ tsp.
Dry red chilly - 1
Cumin seeds- 3-4 tsp.
Cloves - 6
Kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves- 1 tsp.
Cinnamon - 1-2" piece
Cardamom - 3 pods
Dry roast all the whole spices except dried fenugreek leaves and black salt and dry grind them to a powder adding both fenugreek leaves and salt.

Recipe:

1. First is the process of blanching spinach, where cleaned washed spinach leaves are cooked in boiling water for around 2-3 minutes. 
2. They wilt and soon they need to be rinsed with cold water to avoid further cooking. This helps in retaining the green color of spinach. Pick all the cooked leaves and grind them without adding any water into a fine paste along with green chillies and finely chopped onions.
3. In a pan add cooking oil or ghee, pop in the finely chopped garlic and ginger. Saute.
4. Then add the ground spinach mixture to it and fry well for a while. 
5. You would see oil oozing from sides.
6. Add milk and cook for a while.
7. Now add the ground spice mixture to it. around 5 tsp. or more depending on how you like it.
8. Adjust salt and cook for around 8 mins or till bubbles come up.
9. Add the diced cottage cheese/paneer to it.Mix well and simmer for around 3-4 mins.
10. Now add lemon juice
11. Add some cream on top and you are ready to go with rotis/Indian flat breads or rice.

Notes:
Never cover and cook spinach. It has a great impact on the discoloration of spinach.
Add lemon juice at the end, serves the purpose of tomatoes usually used and hence avoids discoloration.
Add black salt while grinding dry spices, it definitely gives a special taste.
Be careful while adding extra salt as the dry spice mixture already has salt in it.