I know, such an appealing name. I prepare my "gravies" in advance and freeze them in neat little bricks. Which protein they will later adorn is anybody's guess... Except for this sauce. Probably due to early exposure to palak paneer, I cannot seem to make anything other than tofu with this pungent spinach sauce, heavily laced with fenugreek. If you've never tried tofu instead of paneer, do this now. You'll thank me later.
Servings (sauce only): 4 (81 calories each without dairy, 97 with yogurt)
I always double the recipe below with the intention of freezing at least 4 servings of it, hence the seemingly awkward amount of tomatoes (half a can). I've made a single batch of the sauce with a full can of diced tomatoes and enjoyed it just as much. Note that if you plan on freezing the sauce, omit the yogurt -- add it when reheating to serve. I can't remember the last time I finished this with a tarka of cumin seeds and asafoetida, but I am noting this option below just in case.
Depending on your texture preferences, you can puree the sauce base prior to adding the spinach or afterwards (partially or completely). Sauce base
1 medium (120g) onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 t ginger paste*
1/2 T fat (butter, ghee, coconut oil)
1 fresh or dried chile, seeds removed - diced or left whole**
1/2 t salt
7.5 oz diced tomato (half a can)
1 t sugar or pinch stevia
1/2 to 1 c water, for simmering
Whole spices
1 t mustard seed, half brown and half black if you have them
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 t nigella seeds
1/2 to 1 t fenugreek seeds
1 bay leaf
Ground spices
1/8 t asafoetida (hing)
1 t turmeric
1 1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t Kashmiri chili powder or paprika + pinch cayenne
1 to 2 t Punjabi garam masala (recipe below; storebought garam masala would do)
Finishing touches
12 oz frozen spinach, thawed and pressed
2 t amchur mixed in 1 T water or 2 t lemon juice
1 T dried fenugreek leaves
1 t dried curry leaves, crumbled
Optional: tarka (1 T butter/ghee/oil, 1 t cumin seeds, pinch asafoetida)
Optional: 1/2 c fat-free Greek yogurt or vegan equaivalent (cashew cream)
Melt the oil/ghee/butter and saute the whole spices until the cumin and mustard seeds begin to pop. Add the onion (and fresh pepper, if using diced) with salt. Sweat until slightly translucent, then add the garlic and ginger, followed by the dry spice blend, then tomatoes. Bring to a boil with sugar/stevia, bay leaf (and whole dry or fresh pepper, if using) and 1/2 c water. Simmer, uncovered, for as long as your little heart desires, adding water as needed: 20 minutes is sufficient.
(Optional: use a stick blender to puree the base before proceeding to the next step)
Add the drained spinach and simmer for at least 5 more minutes, adding additional water as needed. Toward the end of cooking, add the amchur or lemon, fenugreek leaves, curry leaves. (Optional: puree all or some of the mixture).
Prepare the tarka (if using). Add the prepared sauce to your partially cooked protein of choice (see Simple seasoned tofu, below) and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Before serving, add the tarka and yogurt/cashew cream.
Punjabi garam masala
Adapted from: 660 curries
1 T coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1 t whole cloves
1/2 t black peppercorn
1/2 t seeds from green cardamom pods
1/2 t seeds from black cardamom pods
1/2 t fennel seed
2 cinnamon sticks (3" long), broken into pieces
3 bay leaves
1/8 t ground ginger
Pinch grated nutmeg
Heat a heavy-bottomed dry skillet on medium heat. Add all the spices through the bay leaves in an even layer. Shake the skillet every few seconds. The coriander and cumin will turn reddish-brown, while the cloves and black pepper will turn almost black. This takes a few minutes. As soon as the spices change in color and become fragrant, transfer to a plate to cool. Once the spices are completely cool, grind them in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Add the ground nutmeg and ginger. Makes about 1/4 c
Simple seasoned tofu (for 3-4 servings)
12 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2" cubes (or smaller)
1/4 t salt (black if you have it)
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t Punjabi garam masala
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t Kashmiri chili powder
Toss the tofu cubes in the mix of salt and spices immediately before cooking. Heat a trivial amount of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat and cook until browned on at least two sides. Add the
* Tip: Whole ginger root can be frozen. When you need paste, simply use a microplane or fine grater. No need to even peel the root first.
** If you're cooking for someone who doesn't handle much heat, simply cut the pepper open to remove the seeds and simmer it whole in the sauce. Remove before serving. If you can handle the heat, chop it up and saute it with the other aromatics - leave some seeds in, even.