Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Wilt. Boil a large pot of water, add the 455 g spinach and once fully wilted after about 2 min drain in the colander and cool under cold water, keeping the pot.
- 2
Blend. Put the drained spinach in the blender with the 2 tomatoes, 2 chillies, coriander, 3 tbsp fenugreek if using and 180 ml water, blend 30-60 seconds until smooth and season with salt.
- 3
Fry. In the same pot melt the 40 g ghee over medium, cook the 150 g onion 6-8 min until golden, then add the garlic and 1½ tbsp ginger and stir 2 min.
- 4
Simmer. Stir in the Kashmiri chilli, 1½ tbsp ground coriander, 2 tsp cumin and 1 tsp turmeric with a little salt, add the saag and simmer gently 10-12 min until slightly thicker.
- 5
Sauce. Melt the 115 g butter over low heat, whisk in the 65 g flour for 2-3 min until golden, add the 950 ml milk and stir 5-8 min until it coats a spoon, then off the heat whisk in pepper, nutmeg and 40 g parmesan and season.
- 6
Assemble. Heat the oven to 200 °C and grease the dish, spread a thin layer of sauce over the base, then layer sheets, a third of the saag, a third of the 370 g paneer and a quarter of the remaining sauce, repeating twice.
- 7
Finish. Top with a last layer of sheets, the rest of the sauce and the remaining parmesan.
- 8
Bake. Cover with lightly greased foil and bake 40 min, then uncover and bake about 20 min until the sheets are tender and the top is light golden.
- 9
Rest. Leave 15-20 min before slicing.
Storage
The saag and sauce can each be made 2 days ahead and chilled, and leftovers freeze for up to 3 months, thawed overnight in the fridge before reheating. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 4.2 g protein per 100 kcal, about 17% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
Per serving, from the nutrition table. Condition from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large pot
- colander
- blender
- large saucepan
- whisk
- 23 x 33 cm baking dish at least 5 cm deep
- foil
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 695 kcal |
| Protein | 29.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 64 g |
| of which sugars | 10.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 37.5 g |
| of which saturates | 21.9 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
| Salt | 1.72 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.2 g High protein needs ≥ 5 g per 100 kcal (20% of energy) and ≥ 10 g per serving
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
