Saag Paneer Enchiladas

I tried a saag paneer recipe recently that I wasn't too fond of. It was good but it didn't taste like the saag paneer I love eating at Indian restaurants. It just wasn't as creamy and spicy and awesome and I was determined to continue my search.

I didn't expect to find a good saag paneer recipe within a fusion recipe. But take away the tortillas and the sauce on top of these saag paneer enchiladas and you've got yourself a solid saag paneer curry recipe. I loved the enchilada version though because the sauce on top is positively Nick+Marilynn. We love cilantro, lime, tangy flavors and this sauce was just that. It was the perfect marriage of Mexican and Indian flavors.

Be forewarned, this recipe makes a lot of enchiladas. I made at least 12 enchiladas and that serves more than 4 people in my book. I am also reposting the recipe as I made some changes to it.

Saag Paneer Enchiladas (adapted from Jalapeños and Smita Chandra’sFrom Bengal to Punjab)

Saag paneer filling:

·          1 medium onion (I used purple)

·          2 cloves of garlic

·          2” thick ginger nub

·          2 Tbsp of canola oil

·          1 16-oz package of frozen spinach, thawed

·          1 tsp cumin

·          1 tsp cinnamon

·          ¼ tsp garam masala

·          ¼ tsp cayenne

·          1 cup of plain, nonfat yogurt

·          ¼ cup of buttermilk

·          1/8 cup of heavy cream+2% milk to make ½ cup of half and half (I didn’t want to buy half and half)

·          ½ lb paneer cut into ¼” cubes

Cilantro Enchilada Sauce

·          2 cups of cilantro, leaves and stems

·          ¼ cup of arugula

·          1 jalapeno, seeds and stems removed

·          1 clove garlic

·          1” ginger stub

·          ½ tsp cumin

·          1 Tbsp of lime juice

·          1/2 cup of nonfat, plain yogurt

·          Salt to taste

Tortillas to make enchiladas

Directions

1.       In a food processor, grind the onion, garlic, and ginger. In a large skillet, heat up the canola oil on medium low heat and add the oinion mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the spinach, cumin, cinnamon, garam, cayenne, yogurt, and buttermilk. Turn down the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir in the half and half and paneer and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Salt to taste.

2. Puree the cilantro, arugula, jalapeno, garlic, ginger, cumin, lime juice, and yogurt until smooth. Salt to taste.

Heat the tortillas one at a time on the stove and then fill each with ¼ cup of filling. Place in baking dish and cover with sauce. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes uncovered. 

Recipe from: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2010/10/saag-paneer-enchiladas.html