Palak Paneer - Veganized!

This is the result of combining the best of two great recipes for Palak Paneer (Spinach with Paneer). I wanted to "veganize" a tried and trusted recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking....and then I came across a really good looking vegan version on a blog: http://earthvegan.blogspot.com/2008/01/. I felt like the latter version could be improved by using some of the techniques and spices from the other. I have to say, the end result was amazing! Making this dish is simple but there are lots of steps, and lots of dishes to wash up. Hope that doesn't scare you off! You could take care of quite a bit of it the day before. I think at the end of the day the effort is worth it and I hope you will too.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 350  g firm tofu (one package, firm or extra...)
• 1  tablespoon  fresh grated ginger
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice (sub lime if need be)
• 1  teaspoon canola oil (any light oil or coconut oil)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1  teaspoon garam masala
•  sea salt, to taste
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder (note there is some chili powder again in the spinach, so all depending, you might want to omit it he) (optional)
• 2  tablespoons canola oil (subs ok)
• 2  bunches fresh spinach (I use a 284 gram pre-washed "tub" of baby spinach)
• 1  tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1⁄2 medium onion
• 2  fresh garlic cloves
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon ground coriander
• 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder (or sub 1 fresh green chili)
• 2  fresh tomatoes, diced
•  sea salt, to taste
• 1  tablespoon arrowroot (or sub corn starch)
• 1⁄4 cup  plain soymilk (or sub almond or rice milk, etc)

Directions

1. Prepare the tofu beforehand by pressing out some of the moisture. The easiest way to do this is to place the block of tofu in a colander, placing a plate on top and then weighing it down with a tin of soup or a heavy skillet. It takes about 1/2 an hour, but you could leave this for however long you need to in the fridge.
2. Cut the pressed tofu into one inch cubes.
3. Combine the next 7 ingredients, (grated ginger, lemon juice, oil, turmeric, garam masala, sea salt and chili powder if using). Toss in the tofu and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes, or longer if need be. Try to turn a couple of times so that the marinade gets evenly distributed.
4. Final step with the tofu is to saute it in about 1 tbsp of the oil. Try to get each side lightly golden. You can use more oil if you want to -- I'm just trying to keep the calories as low as possible. Set aside once done.
5. Next step - the spinach. In a dutch oven or large saute pan, heat up about an inch of water. While that's boiling, chop the spinach roughly and then add to the boiling water, steaming until tender (a matter of a few minutes). Once done, turn off the heat and then drain out about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a measuring cup. Once you've taken that 1/4 cup out, there shouldn't be a whole lot left. Set the 1/4 cup of spinach water aside and then puree what's left in the pot together with the steamed spinach. I like to just use an immersion blender right there in the pot -- or you could move to a blender or something similar. Set the spinach aside (I move mine to a bowl and clean out the same pot).
6. Next step -- putting it together. Using a mini-blender or food processor, combine the onion, ginger, garlic, fresh chili if using, and the 1/4 cup of spinach water - puree into a smooth paste.
7. Heat the remaining tbsp of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the paste (watch out, it will splatter) and fry it for about 30 seconds. Then add your other spices and diced tomatoes. Lower the heat and let that cook gently for about 5 minutes, watching it doesn't burn.
8. Add in your pureed spinach and season to taste with salt.
9. Next combine the arrowroot powder with the soy milk in a small dish. Once you've removed the lumps, gently stir it in and let the sauce thicken up for a few more minutes. Lastly, add in the tofu and let it warm through, about 10 more minutes.
10. Done! Serve with rice or naan etc -- garnish with fresh cilantro if you like, or some more diced fresh tomato.