This is a is a classic Indian recipe for a curry of greens and fried paneer cheese that's adapted to use springtime wild greens.
Go to the printable version of the recipe
Wild Greens Saag Paneer
I love my curries and I love my greens. Now that spring is in full swing, my aim from now until October is to not buy any
greens in the shops but to forage for them instead. Of course, now being the end of April, there's a proper bounty to choose from and I'm spoiled for choice with everything from ramsons, wild mustard, garlic mustard, common hogweed, cleavers, nettles, sorrel, young hawthorn laves, deadnettles, three-cornered leeks and many more including my favourite, ground elder. So I got my rucksack, packed a few plastic bags and went out foraging, with the aim of preparing wild greens saag paneer.
The saag in saag paneer doesn't just mean spinach it can refer to a whole host of greens. As a result it's the right curry to adapt for this wild forager's feast. The wild mustard greens are coming to an end (they're at their best from September) and the larger autumn leaves are dying back ready for the flowering stems and the smaller summer leaves. So this is my last chance to get these greens. I'm going to supplement them with rapeseed greens that I found recently which have gone wild. So 1/4 my greens will be from the cruciferae family, 1/4 will be ground elder and the other 1/4 will be a blend of wild greens.
Ingredients:
For the Paneer:
225g Paneer, Indian cottage cheese, cubed
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
½ tsp Cumin seeds
½ tsp ground Turmeric
¼ tsp Salt (or to taste)
For the Saag:
250g mixed wild greens (ramsons, nettle tops, garlic mustard, young common hogweed, cleavers)
125g mixed wild mustard greens and feral rapeseed greens
125g ground elder
2 tbsp Ghee or butter
1 small Onion finely chopped
¼ tsp Cumin seeds
2 large Garlic cloves minced
3cm piece of Fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 medium Green chilies finely chopped (adjust to taste)
2 small Tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp ground Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp hot chilli powder (adjust to taste)
60ml double cream (optional)
½ tsp Salt (or to taste)
Method:
Place a wok or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the vegetable followed by the the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds then add the paneer cubes and cook until they turn golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle turmeric powder and a pinch of salt over the paneer, toss to coat, and remove from heat. Set aside.The ground elder is a potherb (requires blanching before use) and the nettles require boiling to remove their stings. As a result it's easier to blanch all the greens together before using them to prepare the saag. Coarsely chop the greens then bring a large pot of water to a boi. Add the greens and blanch for 2– minutes until they wilt and turn bright green. Drain the greens and immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain again and blend the greens into a smooth paste using a blender or food processor. Set aside.
Heat ghee or butter over medium heat in a wok, kadhai or large pan. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Now add the chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent. Next add the minced garlic, ginger, and green chilies. Cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the ground cumin, ground coriander seeds, garam masala, and hot chilli powder. Cook for a minute to toast the spices. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they become soft and the oil separates from the mixture.
Pour the blended greens paste and mix well with the tomato-spice mixture. Cook the saag for about 10-15 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the oil separates and floats to the top top. If using double cream, add it at this stage and mix well. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Gently add the fried paneer cubes into the saag and stir to combine. Let the saag paneer simmer for another 5 minutes to ensure everything is hot and to allow the flavours to meld together.
Taste and adjust the salt and spices according to your preference. Serve hot accompanied by naan, roti and/or rice.
curry, cheese, greens, wild, traditional
Curries
Fusion
Wild Greens Saag Paneer https://fabulousfusionfood.blogspot.com/2025/05/wild-greens-saag-paneer.html Wild Greens Saag Paneer.
This is a classic Indian recipe for a curry of greens and paneer cheese adapted to use wild springtime greens .
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKyf_M5E6Cd8D9TNpV7uNOCICppi7OWYgh3XxeaNtpBsdlk10nBtEiNJ0g2qqGKWWlbIyFWdsNuxUy1tLyDzm7eXNL7LZxsRn6N8ZVF38W2sJPm2_xq0QPwdz8SicKpw4T1LtaIUSc7U/s1600/blackcurrant-almond-paste-tart.png
2025-05-05
Yield: 6
Wild Greens Saag Paneer
Wild Greens Saag Paneer. This is a is a traditional Indian recipe for a curry of greens and fried paneer cheese that's adapted to use wild springtime greens.
prep time: 20 mins
cook time: 20 mins
total time: 40 mins
Ingredients:
For the Paneer:
225g Paneer, Indian cottage cheese, cubed
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
½ tsp Cumin seeds
½ tsp ground Turmeric
¼ tsp Salt (or to taste)
For the Saag:250g mixed wild greens (ramsons, nettle tops, garlic mustard, young common hogweed, cleavers)
125g mixed wild mustard greens and feral rapeseed greens
125g ground elder
2 tbsp Ghee or butter
1 small Onion finely chopped
¼ tsp Cumin seeds
2 large Garlic cloves minced
3cm piece of Fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 medium Green chilies finely chopped (adjust to taste)
2 small Tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp ground Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp hot chilli powder (adjust to taste)
60ml double cream (optional)
½ tsp Salt (or to taste)
For the Saag:
Method:
- Place a wok or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the vegetable followed by the the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds then add the paneer cubes and cook until they turn golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle turmeric powder and a pinch of salt over the paneer, toss to coat, and remove from heat. Set aside.
- The ground elder is a potherb (requires blanching before use) and the nettles require boiling to remove their stings. As a result it's easier to blanch all the greens together before using them to prepare the saag. Coarsely chop the greens then bring a large pot of water to a boi. Add the greens and blanch for 2– minutes until they wilt and turn bright green. Drain the greens and immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain again and blend the greens into a smooth paste using a blender or food processor. Set aside.
- Heat ghee or butter over medium heat in a wok, kadhai or large pan. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Now add the chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent. Next add the minced garlic, ginger, and green chilies. Cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the ground cumin, ground coriander seeds, garam masala, and hot chilli powder. Cook for a minute to toast the spices. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they become soft and the oil separates from the mixture.
- Pour the blended greens paste and mix well with the tomato-spice mixture. Cook the saag for about 10-15 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the oil separates and floats to the top top. If using double cream, add it at this stage and mix well. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Gently add the fried paneer cubes into the saag and stir to combine. Let the saag paneer simmer for another 5 minutes to ensure everything is hot and to allow the flavours to meld together.
- Taste and adjust the salt and spices according to your preference. Serve hot accompanied by naan, roti and/or rice.
For more Wild Food recipes see the FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food recipes page. To help you identify wild edible plants you can use FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food Guide.
© Dyfed Lloyd Evans
Comments
Post a Comment