Palak Paneer

How to make it

1. Rinse the basmati rice in a bowl of cold water, pouring off the water again and again until it runs clear and is no longer milky.
2. Cover the rice with cold water and let it soak for 20 minutes so the grains absorb water and stay long and whole during cooking. Then pour it into a sieve and let it drain thoroughly. ⏱ 20 min · passive
3. Set a large pot with plenty of water and 1 tsp salt over high heat, and bring it to a boil until the water is bubbling vigorously. ⏱ 8 min · passive
4. Add the spinach to the boiling water and blanch it for 2 minutes, until the leaves have completely wilted and turned a deep, bright green. Immediately transfer it to a bowl of ice-cold water — this abrupt stop is what keeps the color green in the finished dish.
   Chef's tip Two minutes is plenty; any longer and the leaves go olive-colored and taste boiled. The ice bath needs to be properly cold — lukewarm water won't stop the heat fast enough.
5. Squeeze all the water out of the cooled spinach with your hands, and blend it together with the split green chilies into a coarse, slightly grainy purée with visible small pieces — not a smooth, uniform mash. If the blender is too dry to catch, add a couple of tablespoons of the blanching water.
   Chef's tip Squeeze the spinach completely dry, or the curry turns watery and runs away from the rice. The coarse purée is what gives the sauce its bite — blend it smooth and the dish loses its character.
6. Cut the paneer into cubes of about 2 cm. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan over medium heat and fry the cubes for 5 minutes, until two sides have golden spots and the cheese smells warm and sweet. Then place them in a bowl of warm water with ½ tsp salt so they soften up again instead of tightening and turning rubbery.
   Chef's tip Frying tightens paneer's protein and drives out moisture; the warm salted soak lets it reabsorb liquid so the cubes stay soft rather than squeaky. Around ten minutes in the water is plenty.
7. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat, and let the cumin seeds sizzle until they smell toasted and start to pop. Add the drained rice, 7 dl water and 1 tsp salt, and bring to a boil.
8. Put the lid on, turn down to low heat and let the rice cook for 12 minutes, until the water has been completely absorbed and small steam holes appear on the surface. ⏱ 10 min · passive
   Chef's tip Don't lift the lid — the steam trapped inside is what finishes the top layer of grains, and it escapes in seconds. Listen instead: a faint hiss means water remains, silence means it's absorbed.
9. Take the pot off the heat and let the rice steam under the lid for 10 minutes, until the grains are tender all the way through. Leave the pot with the lid on while you make the curry — this keeps the rice warm. ⏱ 10 min · passive
10. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, and let the cumin seeds sizzle for 1 minute, until they froth up in the fat and smell nutty.
    Chef's tip The seeds need fat hot enough to make them sizzle on contact but not smoke — if they darken past reddish-brown they turn bitter, and that bitterness carries through the whole pot.
11. Add the finely chopped onion and cook it for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is soft and golden brown at the edges.
12. Stir in the grated ginger and finely chopped garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes, until the raw, sharp smell is gone and only a sweet garlic aroma remains.
13. Add the finely chopped tomatoes, ground coriander and 1 tsp salt, and cook for 6 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down completely into a dark, unified mass. The tomato base is only done once the ghee separates out in clear beads along the edge.
    Chef's tip Ghee beading at the edge is the reliable sign the tomato water has cooked off; stop before it and the curry keeps a raw, sharp tomato edge. Add a splash of water if the base catches before it gets there.
14. Fold in the coarse spinach purée and let it simmer for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened and flows slowly off the spoon. Keep the heat at medium, as vigorous boiling turns the fresh green color toward gray.
15. Lift the paneer cubes out of the warm salted water with a slotted spoon and gently fold them into the spinach curry. Let them heat through for 3 minutes, until they are warmed all the way through and have taken on a green color on the surface.
16. Crumble the kasuri methi between your palms into the pot, stir in the cream and garam masala, and season with more salt to taste. The garam masala is added only at the end because it loses its aroma with long cooking.
17. Transfer the spinach curry to a deep serving bowl and lay the fine ginger strips across the center. Pour the rice into another bowl, and place both in the middle of the table. Each diner takes rice on their plate and spoons the green curry alongside, mixing it in a little at a time.