12 minutes Palak Paneer(Spinach with Indian Cottage Cheese)!!

Last friday I had an eye appoinment in Central london, I had LASEK surgery done few years back, so it was just check up....everything was fine, so happy and came home very tired after train journey(don't like to take car,traffic and parking problems)....and just I threw myself in a bed and fell a sleep in no time ..you know how much I love my sleep!! In deep sleep I heard phone ringing, never like to answer the phone while I sleep but, I had to....it was my DD(we arranged that my hubby will pick up the kids from school)

DD" Mum are you at home?"
Me" Ya, I was just resting"
DD" Daddy is asking have you prepared any food? if not then we can bring some pizza on the way"
Me" Jumped out of bed..nonono, don't bring anything, I'll cook something...just come home"
DD" Mum, if you are tired, don't trouble yourself"
Me" I am ok....justt come home and we'll see"
Reason for saying no to pizza, not too keen on takeaways, unless I just can't cook..;-(( I love to give my family fresh and home made food...So looked in the fridge I found one small packet of Baby Spinach(already washed) and paneer, wasn't enough so looked in the freezer and found some frozen spinach(always love to keep frozen spinach and brocolli) and I made the fastest palak paneer in my life....
You will need:-

• 2 cup Spinach(frozen or fresh)
• 1 cup Paneer cubed
• 1 small Onion finely choppped(I like mine pureed)
• 2 tsp garlic, ginger and green chilli paste
• 1/2 cup tomatoes pureed
• Salt to taste, red chilli powder, Dhana jeera masala and garam masala(adjust to your liking)
• Very small amount of tumeric- reason is if you use more tumeric in any green vegees, tumeric can kill good vitamins and iron
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• Pinch of hing(asafoetida)

Method-Counting every minute
1st-Place spinach with little water in a microwave bowl and let it cook for 7 minutes.  Meanwhile peel the onion, garlic, ginger and grind in a grinder with green chillies and very little water.   Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, add hing and grind paste.  let it fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes or untill gets slightly brown.(In this time I was kneading my chappati dough)  Now add pureed tomato and add all the masala and cook till you see oil leaving masala. 7 minutes pass, spinach has cooked and add in to grinder to make puree, this time I didn't made it in to fine puree, just in to coarse...add spinach and mix well and now add paneer cubes and let it cook for further 3-4 minutes...Ready to serve in 12 minutes!!  Great with roti, naan and puri...

My family said "You made this  palak paneer best ever up to now" should I take this is compliment or what?  what about all those years, wasn't it up to standard......:-))Lol..they have habbit of saying this all the time!!

Enjoy it as much as we did!!

Sending this dish to Niloufer's Twenty-20 cooking event..