Saag Feta: The Classic Palak Paneer Gets A Greek Twist

Tasting saag feta for the first time is a revelation in itself. We say that because no matter how much we describe the mild gravy punctuated by soft, salty cubes of feta in so many words, it is best experienced when eaten warm, with a tandoori roti to scoop up the luscious gravy. If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably had an opportunity to indulge in a meal that consisted of palak paneer; whether it was homemade or you ended up ordering at a restaurant. In comparison to most other variations of paneer dishes like a butter masala or tikka masala, the humble palak paneer has been fairly underrated.

However, the saag feta is unique in many ways; in that, it isn’t as heavily spiced and the recipe does not call for the use of tomatoes. Most versions of palak paneer end up becoming too rich or heavy with the addition of malai or heavy cream but surprisingly enough, the half-melted, lightly cooked cubes of feta soak up the oil and spices and cut through the richness of the spinach sauce, making it seemingly balanced and complete as a dish. With small variations in technique and ingredients, the saag feta has a fuller spinach flavour and retains its bottle green hue.

Ingredients:

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• 1 bunch spinach
• 200 grams feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 2 + 1 tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon asafoetida
• Juice of half a lemon

Image Credits: Bites & Rights

Method:

• Heat the ghee in a skillet and add the cardamom pods and coriander seeds. Once the coriander begins to brown lightly, add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook them until aromatic and the onions begin to brown on the edges.
• Wash and roughly chop the spinach and cook it for about 5 minutes, until it begins to wilt. Add the green chillies and season lightly. Take the pan off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down considerably before sticking the contents into a blender jar and blitzing to a smooth paste, similar to how you would for palak paneer.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of ghee in the pan and temper with the cumin seeds. Once it begins to splutter, add the asafoetida powder followed by the spinach paste back into the pan and swirl the residue in the blender jar with some water and add that to the pan as well.
• Add the red chilli powder and cook this mixture for a couple of minutes until you have a gravy that’s fairly thick enough to scoop up with rotis. Cube the feta into chunks of your desired size and add them to the pan. Cook for another 3-4 minutes without mixing too much, to avoid the feta cubes disintegrating into the spinach gravy.
• Take off the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Serve warm with rotis, rice and sliced onions.

Note: Be careful not to season the spinach gravy with salt as the feta makes up for the lack of seasoning.