If you love to add a classical Indian vegetarian dish on your menu, saag paneer is your best choice. Saag paneer is made with spinach with studded fried paneer cheese in cubes. The flavors are enhanced with coconut milk or cream and are packed with the deliciousness of a hearty vegetarian meal.
Considering your comfort, we are providing you with the saag paneer recipe, but before that, here are some commonly asked questions and tips for your assistance. So, without further due, let’s dig in the paneer.
Several people are diet conscious, and they want to have information on each component they consume. So, is saag paneer keto? Let’s answer your question.
Is Saag Paneer Keto?
Several people are opting for a keto diet because, according to studies, it is a high-fat and low-carb diet that is effective for diabetes, weight loss, and epilepsy. However, you can add saag paneer on your keto diet chart, only if it does not have corn flour, maize flour, or Makki ka atta (cornmeal) added in it.
If you are ordering from a restaurant, confirm if they add any of these flours, and you can have a saag paneer keto dish.
When you make saag paneer at home, you can have paneer in the keto diet and make more healthy, nutritious, and delicious recipes with paneer as long as you avoid the above ingredients.
Which Paneer Brand is Good in the USA?
There are a variety of dairy brands available in the market, and it makes it difficult to choose the best paneer brand. Before buying the paneer, there are specific parameters and factors on which you can analyze the paneer’s quality.
Most importantly, remember to consider the availability of a brand because if it is running low or you have the hassle to locate the place that provides it with paneer, it might be of no use.
· Taste of Paneer
Choose a paneer brand that has a milky and dairy like taste rather than an acidic or sour taste.
· Odor of Paneer
Take a sniff and smell the paneer before buying because it tells you if the paneer is delicate, fresh, and healthy.
· Texture of Paneer
Paneer can have a hard and soft texture when they are freshly made. It is essential to consider that the product is freshly manufactured, and it is not stale.
· Nutritional Value of Paneer
An essential component in the food that you intake is its nutritional value. Make sure that the nutrition components are as per your choice in the brand of paneer.
Most popular and best paneer brands of paneer in the USA are:
Is Feta Cheese and Paneer the Same?
Cheese and paneer have differences in the process of preparation and nature. Cheese is manufactured from the milk of sheep and cow, and it can be stored and transported for longer durations than milk itself. To make cheese, the milk is curdled with the addition of rennet or acidification.
On the contrary, paneer is a form of Indian cheese that is unaged, non-melting farmer cheese with no added salt. Paneer is entirely vegetarian, with no addition of rennet or its substitutes.
Is Paneer Good For Kids?
Paneer is a rich source of healthy proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fats and can be easily made at home. At an early age, the digestive system of a child is still developing, so doctors usually do not recommend giving paneer to kids below the age of 6-8 months.
However, an older kid can have 2-3 small cubes of paneer twice or thrice a week. Remember that you start small, with half a cube, and if the child can digest with no reactions, you can increase based on your child specialists’ advice.
Nonetheless, if your child has lactose intolerance and cannot digest dairy products, cut down the dairy items. You can give soya-based and lactose-free products to the child to fulfill their nutritional requirements.
How to Make Paneer Crispy?
Why does paneer have to be soft and creamy only? Well, it is not a necessity, and you can make it crispy and crunchy too. So here is how you can do that.
Take paneer cubes and dust them with refined flour. Mix cornflour, refined flour, baking powder, salt, and chilled water to make the batter. Make sure that the mixture for coating is smooth and neither too thick nor gooey.
Dip the flour-coated paneer cubes in the batter and then deep fry them till they turn golden and crispy. You can also serve the crispy paneer with a sauce or garnish them with green onions or vegetables.
Saag Paneer Recipe
| Preparation time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 45-50 minutes |
| Servings | 4 |
Ingredients
| Item and Quantity |
| 2 bunches of Saag (roughly chopped) |
| 1 bunch of Fenugreek leaves (roughly chopped) |
| 1.5 fl. oz of Canola Oil |
| ½ pound of Paneer (cube-shaped) |
| 1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds |
| 1 large Onion (thinly sliced) |
| 1 teaspoon of Ginger (freshly grated) |
| 3 cloves of Garlic (minced) |
| 1 Tomato (diced) |
| 2 teaspoons of Garam masala |
| ½ teaspoon of Ground turmeric |
| ½ teaspoon of Cayenne pepper |
| ½ cup of Heavy whipping cream |
| A pinch of salt or to taste |
Instructions for Making Saag Paneer
- Boil water in a large saucepan. Add saag and fenugreek in the boiled water for 3-5 minutes or until it is wilted.
- Drain the water, transfer saag, and fenugreek in the food processor. Blend them to make a puree or until it is finely chopped.
- Turn on the flame on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Fry the paneer cubes with continuous stirring. Cook the paneer for 5 minutes, and when the paneer turns brown, evenly set it aside.
- Afterward, heat another 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a pan and fry the cumin seeds till they are toasted, aromatic for 3-5 minutes.
- Add onion, stir and cook it for 4-5 minutes till it is translucent and soft. Then add ginger, tomato, garlic, garam masala, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and stir them. Stir well and cook till the tomatoes are soft and break for another 10 minutes.
- Finally, mix the saag and fenugreek, paneer cubes, cream, and salt to taste.
- Cover the pan for 15-20 minutes with continuous stirring.
Nutritional Value of Saag Paneer
The recipe has
- 299 Calories
- 18g Carbohydrates
- 17.1g Protein
- 479mg Sodium
- 29mg Cholesterol.
Final Words
Saag paneer is easy and delicious to make with a quick recipe. I prefer homemade paneer because it has a fresh and soft texture with no added preservatives. In Asian markets, you can also easily buy paneer to add to your plate.
We are here to answer all your queries and guide you along the way. If you have any questions, we welcome them in the comments section. You can also request more recipes and suggest what you like to add on the website.
