(VEG) Palak Paneer with a twist

 This is not a traditional Palak Paneer. We don't steam the Palak (spinach).

For ingredients we need

- Around four squeezed handfuls of fresh spinach (Baby Spinach is preferable). It needs to be thoroughly washed.
- Half cup of sunflower seeds
 - Paneer cut into cubes. Note: If you cannot get Paneer, use button mushrooms.
- Chopped onions, amount depends on the amount of spinach and Paneer.
- Half inch ginger piece and 5 cloves of garlic.
- Two green chillies and one cup of chopped cilantro (coriander) washed.
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste.
- 1/2 tsp Cummin seeds.
- 1 tsp Turmeric.
- 1 tsp Garam Masala (powdered mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom).
- 1/2 cup of olive oil.
- 1 tbsp of dried fenugreek leaves (optional).
- Lime juice (squeeze the juice of half a lime).

Wash the fresh spinach.

Put hot water on the washed spinach

Put it in a cold water bath. Squeeze the water out from the spinach.

Put it in a blender.

Throw in the ginger/garlic. Salt to taste. Powder the sunflower seeds and add cilantro, fenugreek,  leaves (optional), line juice and about half cup of olive oil. It forms into a pesto. Taste to see if the salt is OK. Keep aside.

At this point you can also serve the pesto with crackers or flat bread or garlic bread.

Heat oil in a skillet. Put pinch of cummin seeds and dried red chilli cut into pieces. Put in the Paneer cubes and fry them until they are light brown in color. Put the chopped onions, tomato paste, turmeric, Garam Masala, salt and sugar to taste. Mix them together until the mixture looks fried and a little oily. Pour in a half cup of water and let it simmer for some time until the liquid reduces. Turn off the heat.

Pour the spinach pesto. Turn off the heat and incorporate the pesto with the Paneer mixture till the color is uniformly green. The consistency should be creamy. Pour it into a serving dish and top it with 2 tsp of butter (which will melt eventually with the heat).