A Delicious Way to Cook Greens

This recipe was inspired by Cooking School Indian and is not for the faint of heart.  It's not at all difficult to prepare, but the flavors are hearty and bold.

I've always been intimidated by learning to cook food from India. Not only is there typically a long ingredient list, but one must also understand the complexity of different types of lentils and how to use tempering (or chaunk) to flavor the food.

As I scoured this cookbook for simple recipes I could tackle, one stood out.  Spinach and paneer, sometimes called Saag Paneer, was a dish I had assumed would be outside of my skill set.  Saag are the greens in the recipe; paneer is a special type of cheese.

This recipe only called for a handful of ingredients, most of which I had on hand.  

I set about to making it, leaving out the paneer, since I didn't have any (although you could easily substitute the tofu I loved so much in the previous post) and my own modifications based on what I had.

The wonderful thing, I've discovered over several trials, is that you can use any greens you have.  I first used frozen, chopped spinach.  Next time, I used a mixture of spinach and fresh chard. In the photo above, it's lacinato kale, and each time it's been equally if not more delicious than the last. 

Mine is, dare I say, quite a bit healthier than the original, as the original recipe calls for 6 T. of ghee and 4 T. of heavy cream.  In my opinion, it's not necessary to add that much fat in order to maintain the good flavor.

Before I share the recipe, I would like to mention that a kitchen tool I find quite fun to have is my mortar and pestle.  

One can find a mortar and pestle at Asian food markets for often less than $20, so there's no need to spend a lot.

I use mine to make a simple guacamole (2 avocados, the juice of one lime, and salt, and a chopped jalapeno if I have it).  I also use it to crush seeds of coriander (usually for potatoes) or fennel (for white bean and fennel soup).  Did I mention it's fun?  And a lovely little thing to have on the counter.

Saag 

1 bunch of greens, equivalent to 2-3 cups when wilted (spinach, chard, or kale or a mix)
1-2 T. water
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 knob of ginger, about 1 T.'s worth, peeled and roughly chopped
2 T. Earth Balance margarine (or ghee, or butter, etc.)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. garam masala  

Heat a saute pan to medium heat.  Wash and chop the greens, leaving them moist from their washing.  Throw them in the pan, allow them to wilt, and add more water if it becomes too dry.

In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and ginger to make a paste. (You may need to add a bit of water.)  Add the paste mixture to the greens and stir.  If you don't have a mortar and pestle, just chop finely.

Once the greens are sufficiently wilted and the garlic and ginger have become aromatic, add the margarine and the garam masala and salt.  Stir to coat.  

Serve with naan or basmati rice.

***
I don't know if the way I make my basmati rice is authentic to any culture.  It's a riff on a recipe I once tried, and I've stuck with it.  One can use white or brown basmati rice, but it must be basmati, because really there is no substitute for this fine, delicate, aromatic grain.
 
Basmati Rice

2 T. canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
6-8 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. salt

2 c. basmati rice, washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
4-5 c. water 

It is important to soak the rice beforehand.  It allows for a quicker cook-time.

In a dutch oven or large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Saute the onion until it starts to sweat.  Add in the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and peppercorns.

Add the soaked, drained rice.  Add 4 c. of water to begin, and the salt.  Bring to a boil, then immediately turn to a simmer.  Stir frequently to avoid sticking.  Add more water if needed.  One will be able to tell when the rice is cooked.

My original recipe calls for finishing this off in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes in an oven-safe pan or tray, but I do not usually do this last step. It's quite good as it is.

Food I Like to Cook

I recently discovered this delicious tofu at Wegmans.  It's difficult to find.  It's in the freezer section with other similarly labeled Wegmans' Asian Classics Products.  It's not with the normal tofu.  Forgive my shameless product plug.

It's a very versatile tofu.  It's solid and creamy, and already salted.  I've substituted it for the paneer in saag paneer.  I also roll it in kimbap (Korean sushi rolls) and add it to noodle dishes.  

Below is my standard set-up for making kimbap.  In this case, it's sweet brown rice, strips of tofu (this tofu is so good I don't even have to flavor it), and a sheet of laver, which is the roasted seaweed that one wraps kimbap in.  This is only one example.  I have a lot of fun with kimbap and have been known to wrap veggie dog strips and tater tots, also avocado and cucumber, carrots, etc.

One of my favorite kimbap fillings is Spicy Tempeh. 

When I cook my rice in the rice cooker, I add a cake of tempeh to the steamer.  Any flavor of tempeh will do.  When the rice is cooked, I remove the tempeh, mash it in a bowl with sesame oil, mayonnaise, and sriracha sauce.  Yes, you can use vegenaise or the non-dairy equivalent of mayonnaise.

Spicy Tempeh Kimbap Filling

1 cake of tempeh, steamed or briefly boiled and mashed

1/3 c. mayonnaise

2-3 T. sriracha sauce

1 T. sesame oil

sesame seeds

Mash them all together and use as a filling, or eat it mixed with rice.

I don't have a photograph of the spicy tempeh, so instead, here is a plain tofu roll:

Another cooking success I've had recently is Curry Noodles.  I've made it every week for three weeks now, and it makes a delicious packed lunch.  I got this idea from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.  What I like about this recipe is that it's incredibly flexible.  You can add protein if you have some; you can add vegetables if you have some, but alternatively you could just make the noodles and the sauce and it would be fine.

I don't know where to tell you this recipe comes from.  The book identifies it as Japanese, which maybe it is, but then again it calls for curry powder and garam masala powder, so it certainly doesn't seem like it's Japanese.  It also doesn't seem entirely Indian.  Let's call it a fusion recipe.

Curry Noodles with Whatever the Heck Else You Want

Sauce:

2 T. vegetable oil or margarine (I use Earth Balance)

2 T. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. curry powder

1 t. garam masala spice blend

1 t. chili powder, or more if you like it hot

1/2 c. water

2 t. agave nectar, honey, or sugar

2-3 T. soy sauce

Noodles and Vegetables:

1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles

2 T. vegetable oil

1-2 c. of Whatever the Heck Else you want, like mixed vegetables, carrots, onions, peppers, broccoli, etc.

Some tofu, or tempeh, or meat substitute of your choice

2 T. fresh grated ginger (I love a microplaner for this task)

First, cook the noodles according to the package directions in a dutch oven, drain, and set aside.

For ease of clean up, I then rinse out the pan I just boiled the spaghetti in, put it back on medium heat, add the oil and flour while whisking to avoid lumps.  Then add the curry powder, garam masala, chili powder, water, sweetener of your choice, and soy sauce.  Continue to whisk until there are no lumps.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

 

In a large sauce pan (or, again, the rinsed out dutch oven), heat the oil over medium heat.  Saute your vegetables until soft.  I have used onion and a frozen bag of mixed vegetables with success.  In the photograph above, I simply used about 1/2 c. of sweet organic corn and a green pepper and onion.  Once the vegetables are soft, add any protein you are using. In the photograph above, of course, it's Wegmans Asian Classics Tofu, diced.  Add the grated ginger.  

Add the noodles and sauce back into the pan.  Stir together until mixed.