Saag Paneer Recipe

1 lb. fresh spinach [empirically determined to be 1 1/2 bunches]
1 Tbls. ghee or vegetable oil
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garam masala [see recipe below if not available]
2 pinches asafetida
3 Tbls. water
2/3 cup sour cream
8 oz. paneer [see recipe below], cubed.
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

Garam masala
4 Tbls. coriander seeds
2 Tbls. cumin seeds
2 Tbls. black peppercorns
2 tsps. cardamom seeds
1 tsp. whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, each 2 inches long

Grind to a fine powder.

Paneer
10 cups whole milk
5 Tbls. lemon juice
[I find this is usually much too little, and tend to add about 1/4 cup or so, until it is heavily curdled]

Chop the washed and drained spinach into small pieces. Heat the ghee in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the powdered spices for a moment. Put the chopped spinach into the saucepan with the 3 Tbls. water. Cover and cook gently until the spinach is tender. This takes about 10 minutes. Now fold in the sour cream and cubes of paneer. Add the salt and sugar, stir well, and continue cooking over low heat for 5 more minutes.

Paneer:
Heat the milk over medium heat in a large pot large enough to allow the milk to rise without overflowing. While waiting for the milk to boil, get a strainer ready by lining it with two layers of cheesecloth. When the milk begins to rise, stir in the curdling agent. Almost immediately, the paneer will separate from the clear yellow-green whey. If the whey is not clear, add a little more curdling agent and stir again. After the curds and whey are separated completely, remove the pot from the heat. Collect the curds in the cheesecloth lined strainer. Rinse under cold water for half a minute to make them firmer and remove excess curdling agent. Then press--bind the paneer within the cheesecloth and press with a weight. Remove the weight, cut into desired shapes and use as required.