Australian Gourmet Traveller - (02)February 2020 (1)

I

n Hindi,saagquiteliterallymeans

“greens”.Fitting,as thebasefor

thisvegetarianIndiandish

comprisesspinach,alongwith

aromaticspicesandsoftpillowsoffresh

cheesecurdknownas paneer.InIndia,

regionalvariationsofthedishshowcase

differenttypesofgreens,including

amaranthleaves,mustardgreensor

fenugreek,whichareboiled,blanched

andflavouredwitha mixtureofspices,

ghee,onionandgarlic.Athismod-

IndianrestaurantDon’tTellAuntyin

Sydney,JessiSinghlikestoadda pinch

ofgroundasafoetida,a spicemadefrom

therootsofferula(a floweringplant

inthecarrotfamily),touptheumami.

This comfortingIndianclassiccanbe

madeinbulk,thenportionedand

frozen for easy mid-week meals.

AtDon’tTellAuntyinSydney,Singhoffersa simplepalak

paneermadewithspinach,broccoliandfenugreek,whichis

servedwithriceandnaan.InMelbourne,CafeSaffronreplaces

paneer with cottage cheese for an extra creamy alternative.

Find

it

It’seasybeinggreenwiththis

spice-fuelled Indian classic.

THECHEESE

Paneeris a fresh,

unsaltedwhitecheese.

Likeothervarietiesof

thefreshcheesefamily

(haloumi,quesofresco),

paneerdoesn’tmelt

whenexposedto

extremeheat,making

it anidealadditionto

thehotsaagmixture.

It canbeusedasis in

thedish,orfirstlightly

frieduntilgolden.If you

can’tfindpaneeruse

firmcottagecheese

orricottasalata;for

vegans,substitutethe

cheeseforfirmtofu.

THEGREENS

Themostcommonversionof

thisdishis palak(spinach)paneer.

Somerecipessuggestusingfrozen

spinach,butfreshleavesmake

fora drier,moretexturalsaag.

Boiled,blanchedin icedwaterand

thoroughlydrained,thespinachis

thenblitzedin a blenderandgently

cookedwithgheeandspicesto

createa fragrantpurée.Modern

interpretationsofthisrecipealso

usebroccoliforextracrunch.

THESPICES

Spicesbringthesubtle

flavoursofthegreens

tolife.Garlic,onionand

chilliareessentials,as

aredryspicessuchas

garammasala,cumin

andturmeric.These

arecookedina frying

panwithghee,resulting

ina heady,perfumed

pasteinwhichthe

greensaresimmered.

Saag

paneer

54 GOURMET TRAVELLER

Anatomy of a dish

WORDS GEORGIE MEREDITH. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING JERRIE-JOY REDMAN-LLOYD. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN.