In 1989 I had just graduated from college and was living in Philadelphia where I was working as an editorial assistant for a medical publishing company. It was definitely one of those jobs that didn’t suit me. I had little interest in copy editing and absolutely zero interest, much less aptitude, in medical editing. The majority of my time was spent in one of two ways: either wistfully watching the sales and marketing department who were always having buckets more fun than the editorial department, or sneaking up to the front desk and chatting with the secretary about food.
It was this secretary, Rose Moody, who led me down a culinary path I have yet to exhaust: Indian food. Now, it might come as a surprise when I tell you that Rose was nearly 70, from Eastern Europe, and the best cooking instructor I’ve ever had. Rose couldn’t drive and I had a car: a perfect match when it came to scouring West Philly neighborhoods for Indian grocery stores. Together we would gather what seemed like exotic ingredients, return to her apartment, and with them create mouth-watering Indian meals.
Having been exposed to the basics I knew that cooking and eating Indian food would be a lifelong obsession. When I moved to Minneapolis two years later I found a man from southern India teaching a series of cooking classes. I immediately signed up and continued my training. Since then I have acquired at least seven Indian cookbooks and have continued teaching myself from these books. Pre-children, my husband and I made a sport out of creating 6-to-10-course Indian meals for friends. With the addition of two baby girls, those particular sporting events are on hold!
Below is one of my favorite weeknight Indian meals. It is a standard at most Indian restaurants in the United States, with the exception that instead of the traditional white cheese, paneer, I substitute tofu. Although the tofu is not authentic, the texture and even taste approximate the bland paneer cheese.
This dish is loaded with superfoods: the tofu is rich in omega-3s, protein and B vitamins, and the powerhouse spinach is rich in carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin (wonderful for eye health) and also a great source of vitamin B, folate and magnesium.
Saag Paneer with a little twist
1 carton firm tofu
2 large bunches of fresh spinach, stems discarded, leaves well washed or a 10 oz. bag of frozen chopped spinach
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (take the vein out if you don’t want the heat)
1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped
1-inch knob ginger, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 Tablespoon butter (ghee if you have it) or olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
Dice tofu into pieces about the size of a sugar cube. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and lower heat to a simmer. Add the tofu, turn off the heat, and leave for 5 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain. Set aside. Reserve cooking water.
If using fresh spinach, blanch in the tofu cooking water for 1 minutes. Drain well.
Put the chiles, ginger, garlic and onion in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Heat butter or olive oil in medium sized saucepan, add chile mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
Add salt, cumin, cayenne and 1 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then return the mixture to the food processor, add spinach and puree.
Return mixture to the skillet, add tofu and let simmer for 5 minute. Serve over basmati rice.
Serves 2 very generously
