Palak Paneer with Rösti

Swiss Fusion Series, Episode 5

Indian Palak Paneer served on rösti instead of rice or naan. Think of it as Indian Züri Gschnetzlets. I invented it for my fusion series and it went straight into my rotation.

• Serves 4
• 45 minutes

Rösti is the best side Switzerland has

Like most of my video recipes, this was my first time cooking it, so it was a bit of a gamble. It paid off. Rice and naan are fine, but a crispy rösti under a saucy curry is better: the spinach soaks into the top while the bottom stays crunchy.

The recipe

Ingredients

• 350 g paneer, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 350 g spinach, frozen and thawed, or fresh and blanched
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 small green chilies
• 1 lime
• 1 bunch coriander, about 30 g
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• Clarified butter (ghee) for frying

• To serve

• 4 small rösti, about 16 cm each, see note below

How to make it

1. Blend the spinach, green chilies, the juice of the lime and half the coriander with just enough water to form a smooth paste.
2. Fry the onion in a little ghee until golden, then add the garlic and sauté briefly.
3. Stir in the spinach paste and the garam masala and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the paneer cubes and heat them through gently.
5. Put a hot, crispy rösti on each plate, spoon the Palak Paneer over it, top with the remaining coriander and serve with a lime wedge.

The rösti. One rule I will give away: waxy potatoes (festkochend) cooked the day before, peeled and grated cold. Fresh potatoes fall apart. The full rösti recipe, the way I actually make it, is in my free Top 10 Swiss Recipes PDF.