Rainbow Chard Saag with Paneer or Smoked Tofu
Quick and easy Indian saag paneer with a handful of ingredients!
Lots (and lots) of rainbow chard (that’s the saag) and pillowy Indian cheese (that is the paneer) all cooked in a mild spiced coconut milk. If you are vegan, simply replace the paneer cheese with smoked tofu.
It’s absolutely delicious and a new family favourite. Let just be honest, no curry take away is complete without a side portion of saag paneer.
What is paneer cheese?
Paneer is a chewy and squidgy cheese, very similar to halloumi. Its does NOT have massive amount of flavour so please please season well when drained. It does soak up a bit of the fragrant curry which will also give it a nudge of flavour. You can use halloumi or tofu instead although I would top the curry with the halloumi rather than stir it into the curry as per the recipes.
Serving Suggestion:
Would be lovely with:
- steamed rice or
- fluffy garlicky naan breads
- very easy flatbreads
- quick spiced flatbreads (mix and bake) with spiced butter
Speed things up:
You can blitz the chard, in batches, in a food processor if you are pressed for time or you can buy destalked and deveined washed chard.
Seasonal swaps:
You can use kale, normal chard or baby spinach instead of rainbow chard.
Getting Ahead:
A lovely make ahead dish and the paneer reheats well.
Freezer Friendly:
You can freeze the saag but without the paneer/tofu. Just defrost and cook and add the paneer/tofu as per the recipe below.
Rainbow Chard Saag Paneer
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 500 g rainbow chard stems removed, leaves & stems chopped very finely (about 1/2 cup stalks)
- 450 g paneer cut into 2cm cubes
- 2 small onions peeled, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 green chilli deseeded, chopped (opt)
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes (or 3 cups cherry, halved)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 400g coconut milk you might not need it all
- 1 400g tin lentils (opt) drained
Instructions
- Add the rest of oil to the same pan, and on a medium heat add the onions and chard stalks if using, cook, covered until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies and stir until fragrant, 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes.
- Cook the tomatoes, covered for about 10 minutes (the cherry tomatoes might take a bit longer), stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick ‘paste looking’ sauce. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt and mix well.
- Add the chard in handful batches to the tomatoes, only adding another handful once the previous batch has wilted and incorporated into the sauce. Continue, stirring until all the chard has been incorporated. PS: It will seem like way too much chard, but have faith!
- Add half a can of coconut milk to start, stir and cook, covered for 15minutes until the chard is super soft. If you need more liquid - add some more coconut milk.
- While the coconut is simmering, heat the rest of the olive oil in a large non stick frying pan, when hot add the paneer cubes or tofu in batches. Fry for a couple of minutes each side until golden all over, remove to a plate, set aside.
- Stir the paneer/tofu back into the saucepan, adding the drained lentils if using, and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with steamed rice, parathas or naan bread.
