In the US market, Asian profile food products attained 3.4 billion dollars in sales between 2013 and 2014, and Indian food is considered a segment of this market. Sales of Asian cuisine oriented foods have increased 27% since 2008, that’s the highest growth of any segment measured.
Saag is more common in Pakistan, and North Indian provinces of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Our chefs have adapted this indian staple to be slightly easier to eat, by stuffing it into Greek filo dough. This creates a sort of…spanikopita style dish but with indian flavors.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces paneer, (Indian cheese), cut into 1/4-inch cubes,
1 (16-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 (1-inch thumb) ginger, puree
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large green serrano chile
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 package of puff pastry, thawed
1 cube of butter
In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
Thaw the spinach in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, 5 minutes on high, then chop it up very finely.
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan warms. In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. saute the mixture until it’s evenly toffee-colored, which should take about 15 minutes. Don’t skip this step – this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven’t already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells a bit more melodious, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off. Let cool
Roll out a sheet of the puff pastry, with a pastry brush, brush on melted butter to one side of the puff. add another piece of puff pastry over the first and repeat the butter method. Two or three more sheets will be sufficient. Cut the sheets of puff into halves or thirds depending on how large you want to make them.
Put a small spoonful of filling into the bottom corner of the puff and start folding up at an angel to create a triangle. Put finished puffs onto a tray covered loosely with a damp cloth.
When completed put onto a sheet tray and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.