Sag Panir. With Homemade Cheese.

The following is a delicious recipe from Kris Dhillon's book 'the Curry Secret'.  You must, I'm afraid, follow the recipe for 'Curry Sauce' in my blog of 20 April 2012 before hitting the below.  But don't be put off as curry sauce is completely idiot proof and speedy.  Like the below.

Oh and the following has the added excitement of making your own cheese, a great one to casually let slip over dinner...

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1.15 litres whole milk
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp veg oil
150 ml curry sauce
a large handful of fresh spinach (or a 450 g can of pureed spinach)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala

Method

1. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, then remove from the heat and immediately add the lemon juice while stirring, you will see the milk curdle.

2. Put a clean tea towel in a colander then pour into it the contents of the saucepan.

3. Place the curds, still in the tea towel, on a baking tray and top with a chopping board and then a weight, like a saucepan full of water.

4. After 15 minutes all the liquid will have been squeezed out and you will have made your own cheese!

5. Heat the veg oil in a deep frying pan, when hot add the curry sauce and cook for 5 minutes at a high heat until thick (stir often).
6. Chop the spinach removing any tough stalks and add to the saucepan along with the salt, cumin and chilli powder.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Add the cheese cut into 1cm cubes and the garam masala and cook over a gentle heat for 5 more minutes.

It truly was delicious.

Kris Dhillon's recipe says you should deep fry the cheese cubes, but in the name of Health I didn't and it didn't seem to matter, it was seriously delicious and such a fun recipe to make.