Saag Paneer

Have been cooking a lot lately because it is kind of difficult to make a fulfilling dinner out of burgers and sandwiches. Think it would be nice of me to share one of my secret recipes.

Take 2 pounds fresh baby spinach, washed and stems trimmed. Tip 1 - Ignore the numbers - cooking is an art which has to be perfected. Let us not make it math! Grab hold of whatever spinach that you can with your right hand (or both of your hands if you are a rare specimen that is blessed with small palms or if you are an even rarer female visitor to this blog), toss it into the water and boil it for some time.

Take a couple of onions. Put on a stupid soap on the TV and start chopping finely. These are the subliminal moments of truth in your life when you realize that “fine chopped onions” are just a myth and are just as rare as Ganguly making some runs when it matters. Fry these silly buggers with all you have got. They made you cry after all.

Heat some cubed Paneer or Tofu in case you happen to be in the US (Why else would you even try the ghastly act of cooking?) and keep it there until you realize that it is all fried up and black. Perform a salvage act wherein you think it would be incredibly funny if the Paneer got burnt equally on both sides. You have an inkling that it would taste better. You even think of the episode where Ross gets tanned four times of his body on one side , chuckle, and then gasp ..... too late, guess it would have to be just Saag instead of Saag Paneer. Whatever! It’s healthier without the fat. You also jot down a quick reminder to call up the reception to send you an extra cooking pot.

You go back to the boiling spinach and the neglected frying onions. You also discover that the “golden brown” that is often recommended by Sanjeev Kapoor is now Royal Burgundy Purple. You toss the spinach in. After trying to unsuccessfully tune the radio to a rock station, you turn to the now boiling mixture and give it a quick stir. Damn! You 'remember' that you forgot the Garam Masala .... Too late to add it in. Well, on the upside, you would be doing your already screwed up system some good by having some bland food once in a while.

You luckily remember to add in some “Salt to taste”. This concoction would taste wonderful with some bread, you feel. You start chewing a mouthful, when you hear a knock on the door.....


“Hey, Wanna eat some of the yesterday’s leftover dal chawal with some pickles??”

“Sure, sounds great!”