400g kale, beetroot leaves, swiss chard or spinachuse any fresh greens local to your area but you must remove the woody stalks and use only the leaves
100-150gfresh good quality feta cut into 2cm cubesyou could also experiment with goats cheese or good quality mozzerela
4clovesgrated garlic
5-6cmgrated ginger
1onion finely slicedsave a few slices to garnish
1-2chillies finely chopped
1fresh tomato, choppeduse tinned tomatoes or sauce if not in season
¾tsptumeric powder
1tspgaram masala powder
½tbspcoriander powder
pinchground cloves
pinchground cardamom
2leavescurrysubsitute 1 bay leaf, 2 basil leaves
1tspground fenugreek
1limejuiced
light olive oil or ghee
salt to taste
Instructions
Gently saute onion, chillies, ginger and garlic until soft. Add the greens in small handfuls and cook until tender. Spinach will take a couple of minutes but for coarser greens, you need to make sure it is blendable, so cook a little longer. You may also need to add a little water to help them soften.
When cool enough add to the blender together with the lime juice. Blend to a coarse puree.
In the same pan, add a little more oil and gently heat all the spices (except the garam masala and fenugreek) to release their flavours, add the tomato, infuse and soften but do not burn. Add the fenugreek, garam masala and spinach mixture. Stir well and heat gently.
Fold in the feta cubes and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the feta starts to melt and is heated through. Check for saltiness and add if necessary.
Decorate with coriander or basil and finely sliced onion and serve with fresh warm pita or rice.
Notes
I have used powdered (or pre-tempered and ground spices).Of course, if you have time, please temper and grind your spice mix, but this is a straightforward side dish or lunch, so I wanted to keep it as quick as possible. A traditional Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer would be finished with a chhonk or tadka (aromatic spiced hot oil dressing). It is very straightforward; temper 2 tsp cumin seeds in 2 tbsp oil (just enough for them to start moving - 30 seconds!). Remove from the heat. Add a pinch of asafoetida, tsp ¼ red chilli powder and two dried red chillies. Add extra garlic if you want a strong garlic kick. Swirl over the Saag/Palak just before serving. Be conservative, as it is pretty rich when mixed with the feta.Inspiration for this recipe comes from Priya Krishna's excellent book Indian-ish;Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family. E 2019, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Boston, New York, with further inspiration from Swasthi's recipes and Richa's Food Story