Palak paneer

Ingredients:

• 8 cups whole milk (not ultra-pasteurized)
• 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 900 g washed regular spinach (not small)
• 2 small or 1 large tomato (220 g), coarsely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 5 cm ginger root, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 6 tbsp ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 serrano pepper, crushed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. garam masala
• 0.5 tsp sugar
• 0.5 cups heavy cream
• Lemon wedges, for serving
• Steamed rice or Indian flatbreads, to serve
• Additional equipment: cheesecloth, colander, large saucepan

Preparation:

1. Line a colander with a triple layer of damp cheesecloth, leaving a 5-7 cm overhang. Place the colander in the sink. Heat the milk in a large non-reactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning.
2. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and carefully add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. The milk should begin to separate into firm curds and a yellowish, watery whey. If not, add a little more lemon juice. Let the milk sit in the pan for about 5 minutes to allow the milk to separate better, then carefully pour it into a cheesecloth-lined colander. If there's still very little curd after 5 minutes, reheat the milk mixture over medium heat and simmer to increase the separation of the curds.
3. Rinse the cottage cheese with cold water to remove the lemon flavor. Gather the edges of the cheesecloth, twist it into a ball, and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Unfold the cheesecloth and mix evenly. Stir 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the cottage cheese. Roll it back into a ball and squeeze out the remaining liquid. Flatten the cheesecloth ball into a 2 cm thick disk and place it on a plate. Weight the cottage cheese down with another plate, placing a heavy object on it, such as a large can of preserves.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Then carefully cut the paneer into 2cm cubes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Place a large bowl of ice water nearby. Blanch the spinach in boiling water in batches for about 1 minute and quickly transfer it with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Drain the blanched spinach. Transfer it to a blender and puree until almost smooth. Set aside.
6. Rinse the blender bowl and puree the tomatoes; set aside. Rinse the bowl again and puree the garlic and ginger in 1/4 cup of water.
7. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the paneer cubes and fry well on 2-3 sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a lined plate and set aside.
8. Add another 2 tablespoons of ghee to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir until they begin to darken and become fragrant, 10 to 30 seconds. Add the serrano pepper, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the onion is deep golden and soft, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if the onion starts to burn.
9. Add the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and half the garam masala. Stir for about 2 minutes, then add the tomato puree, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to dry out, about 6 minutes. Add the spinach puree, sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1.5 teaspoons salt, and the remaining garam masala. The sauce will be quite thick.
10. Simmer for 8 minutes, then add the heavy cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee. Stir in the toasted paneer cubes and simmer for another 4 minutes to warm through the paneer and thicken the cream.
11. Serve with boiled basmati rice or Indian flatbread and lemon wedges.