Saag Tofu/Paneer (DF+GF)

A go to dish for a Friday night fake-away! Whether you use tofu or paneer this is a dish that will leave everyone drooling. A sneaky way to get your spinach in too! You may need a hand blender/food processor for this recipe but it is not essential!

Prep time: 20 mins + 4.5 hours marinating time

Cooking time: 20 mins

Difficulty: Medium

Serves: 4

Macro breakdown:

Saag Paneer - Calories: 564 kcal, Protein: 31g,

Carbs: 35g, Fat: 33g (per serving)

Saag Tofu - Calories: 410 kcal, Protein: 31g,

Carbs: 35g, Fat: 16g (per serving)

Ingredients:

• 250g Paneer or Tofu

• 100 g spinach

• 1 tbsp Olive oil

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp chopped chilli

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 chopped onion

• 1 tsp minced garlic

• 1 tsp ginger paste

• 2 tsp garam masala

• 0.5 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 100 ml soy single cream

• 50g brown basmati rice (to serve)

Method:

1. Chopped the 250g paneer or tofu into little cubes. Marinate in a bowl with 1 tsp of turmeric and 1 tsp chopped chilli. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

2. Rinse and chop the spinach, soak in warm water whilst you prepare the paneer/tofu.

3. After a few hours, take the marinated paneer/tofu and leave at room temperature for 30mins. Once room temp, fry off on a medium heat in a little oil ensuring each side of the cube is slightly golden. Once crisp transfer to a clean bowl.

4. In the same frying pan, fry off 1 tsp of cumin seeds, after a minute add in half a chopped brown onion, 1 tsp of garlic and 1 tsp of ginger.

5. Once the onion is browned, add 2 tsp of garam masala, 2 tbsp of tomato paste, and a pinch of salt. Fry off on a medium heat for a few mins.

6. Add 100ml of cream and stir to combine with the spices.

7. Once everything is combine, slowly add the spinach and stir to coat it in the mixture. When all the spinach is added, reduce the heat slightly.

8. Optional but advised: Use a hand blender or food processor to blend the spinach mixture to a creamy consistency. This will allow your dish to have that thick sauce.

9. Once blended, add in the fried tofu and stir to combine. Leave on a medium heat for 5 mins and then serve with warm rice.

Enjoy!

Notes: Tofu makes a good replacement for paneer but you can choose to use the Indian cheese if you wish. This is a great side dish to a main like chicken curry and can also be served with bread or poppadoms!

If you do not own a hand blender you can chop your spinach finely to ensure you don't have big leaves.

Drop a comment below if you give this a go or share it on Instagram! #BEANSFOODBIBLE