Sag Paneer by Savera Dairy

As I mentioned in my previous post I've had the pleasure lately of trying out some brand new Indian dairy products by Savera Dairy. In this post I'm trying out their paneer and raitu.

Now to be honest I'm not that fussed when it comes to paneer. I can take it or leave it. Mum never cooked spinach curry with paneer in it so sag panner is not a dish I crave from childhood. My cousin does an amazing chilli paneer but she has yet to give me the recipe. So paneer is not a regular feature in my shopping basket or a dish I would opt when going out.

But that I think is all changing, thanks to Savera Dairy. When I opened the packet of paneer I was pleasantly surprised at its appearance. It was pure white and resembled feta cheese. Whenever I've bought paneer from the shops I always thought it looked rubbery and with a tinge of yellow in its colour.

So on first appearance it was thumbs up. I then cut the paneer into small chunks. I decided to make Sag Paneer (spinach curry with paneer) as I had a bag of spinach delivered in my veg box this week as well. Upon cutting the paneer it stayed strong and had a lovely texture to it, again much like feta cheese but not as crumbly as feta, which is another positive as you don't want the paneer crumbling away in a curry.

Once the paneer was cooked in the curry, it stayed whole and had a great texture and flavour. It soaked up the flavours really well and kept its shape. It even got the thumbs up from the American Vegetarian who has never been a great fan of paneer. So all in all I have to say Savera dairy paneer is great. It's much better than the paneer that I've found in the shops currently. It doesn't look rubbery, hasn't got a tinge of yellow and has a flavour.

Now on to the raitu. Raitu is a yoghurt dip with cucumber and herbs. What I really like about the Savera raitu is the convenience. I just peeled back the lid and immediately was hit by a waft of mint. It had a good balance of mint, coriander, and cucumber. Its cool, refreshing and great as a dip or accompaniment with the main meal. Also fantastic for barbecues and picnics.

So here is my recipe for Sag Paneer

Ingredients

1 pack of Savera dairy paneer; cut into chunks
1 big bag of spinach; washed and chopped
Some vegetable oil
1/4 tsp of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida (hing, optional)
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
2 tsp of ground coriander
3/4 tsp of salt
3/4 tsp of sugar

Method

Heat some oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds once they start to pop and become aromatic, add the hing if using, then add the spinach and paneer. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander, salt and sugar and mix well. Cover and simmer on a medium heat for around 20 minutes. After 20 minutes check and adjust flavour. If you find it slightly bitter, add some sugar to sweeten it up. Add some water as well if all the water has cooked away. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes and then serve with rice, or rotli (Indian bread). You can garnish with coriander if you wish.

De-lish!
http://saveradairy.co.uk/