{"id":13703,"date":"2013-04-30T17:40:40","date_gmt":"2013-04-30T22:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=13703"},"modified":"2013-05-01T10:56:13","modified_gmt":"2013-05-01T15:56:13","slug":"saag-paneer-spring-spinach-indian-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2013\/04\/30\/saag-paneer-spring-spinach-indian-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Saag Paneer for Spring Spinach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Garam masala, coriander, ginger, and garlic flavor this creamy, spinach-based saag dish with seared pieces of paneer cheese. The recipe can be adjusted to be served with chicken, if desired.<\/em>
\n\"Saag
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I was introduced to Indian cuisine a few years after I had left home. It was during a college road trip: cars brimming with bodies, the trunk packed with an assortment of duffel bags as none of us even owned proper luggage at that point nor had the desire to use it.
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There was a drive across the flat, Midwestern expanse that surrounds the Twin Cities as we headed for a bigger city and better adventures that would surely be had if we could only reach them. The windows were rolled down, letting the current of air carry us forward, whipping hair in our eyes leaving us blind but for our desire to leave behind what we knew.
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We ended up in Chicago, two carfuls of shorts-clad legs, our heads precariously balancing on top, full from the weight of the world our coursework was trying to cram into them. We explored the shoreline of Lake Michigan, the wicked wind slapping our faces raw, and then we headed down Devon Avenue towards Little India.
\n\"Saag
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Not even a block in, the smells started to overwhelm our nose. Coriander and cumin, cardamom and cinnamon, the sharp tang of garlic, their individual scents melding together into something warm and round wafting down the street, causing your stomach to rumble in anticipation.
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The menu gave no description, just foreign words on yellowing cardstock, but bowls of basmati rice and white porcelain dishes filled with brightly colored sauces holding chunks of meat and paneer started to arrive, as well as a basket of fresh naan, gleaming from a healthy brush of ghee across the top.
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In an instant, what was unfamiliar became comforting.
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\nIndian food has a distinct aroma, the mixing of toasted spices that knocks you over on impact. These days I just need to open my windows to have my neighbor’s cooking invade the house. Warm, comforting dishes and tandoor-seared meats served with soft breads of naan and chapati have become my go-to dishes for late family meals, and saag, with its springtime greens cooked down has become a favorite to serve on the patio when the chill is still present in the spring air, mimicking the shores of Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

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