Hey everybody...
 Ghosty and  Kuraiko writing.

And, surprise, another classic Indian dish that you can find all over india.
Fresh paneer cheese in a thick, aromatic and creamy spinach sauce and some spiced rice with peas waiting to soak up the sauce.
Takes a bit to prepare and it's not an easy dish to get right. We also went the extra mile to marinate and grill the paneer cheese...but once you are done, you're in for a smooth flavor bomb.

Paneer:
2,5-3L fresh whole milk
3 tbsp white vinegar (eg white balsamic vinegar, which is milder in taste)

In a large enough pot, bring the milk to a boil, remove it from heat and pour in 3tbsp of vinegar.
Mix it in and the milk will start to curdle immediately.
Let it stand for about 10-15 minutes, so it's completely curdled.
Strain through a cheese cloth, muslin or a clean cotton kitchen cloth. Capture the whey to use it in other dishes or for drinking or discard it.
Now squeeze the solids in the cloth to remove excess liquid (careful, it's very hot) until a whitish crumbly mass has formed.
Place the curds together with the cloth into a form and press it in the fridge for about 6-8.
After that, the Paneer should be firm enough to cut.
If it's a bit crumbly at the edges, that no big problem. Those crumbs can be put into the sauce as well.
Results in ~300-350g Paneer.

Palak Paneer:
750-800g leaf spinach, frozen (no creamed spinach) or fresh
1 onion
3-4 garlic cloves (will be used for he Matar Pulao as well)
1 piece of fresh ginger, 1-1,5 fingers thick (will be used for he Matar Pulao as well)
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt, pepper, (for e.g. turmeric (~1tsp), cumin (~2-3tsp), ground coriander seeds (2-3 tsp), Garam Masala (1-2tsp), a good curry powder (1-2tsp; I used Ingo Holland "Maharadscha Curry" and "Curry Anarpurna"). Adjust amounts to your taste)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 star anise
3-4 cardamom pods
1-2 cups of greek yoghurt
Optional: fresh coriander
clarified butter/Ghee
fresh paneer
vegetable broth (homemade or glass, no powdered stuff)
Optional: a pinch of baking soda to preserve the green color of the spinach (otherwise it will get greenish-brownish in color)

Cut the Paneer into cubes. Mix 1 cup of greek yoghurt with salt, peffer, some cumin and turmeric and marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge. After the cheese cubes are done, take them out and keep the spiced yoghurt for the spinach sauce.
Peel onion, garlic and ginger. Dice the onion and work ginger and garlic into a fine paste with some course salt, using a mortar or blender. Keep some for the rice.
Wash the coriander, tap it dry, pick the leaves and chop it roughly.
Lightly crush the cardamom pods.
Clean the fresh spinach or thaw the frozen spinach and slightly press out the water from the ice.
Take a little of the spinach and chop it with a knife. Use a blender and if necessary some broth/water until you get a more or less smooth mixture.

Heat up some Ghee in a large pot or pan and gently fry onion, star anise, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods until the onion turns translucent.
Add the spices, mix in then after a few minutes on low heat add garlic-ginger paste and continue to fry. Now at the tomato paste, keep frying a little longer, than deglace with a bit of vegetable broth or water.
Add the spinach and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Optional: While the spinach is cooking, sprinkle in some baking soda to preserve the color.
Add the spiced yoghurt and normal yoghurt until you got a thick, creamy sauce.
Simmer on low heat for at least another 30 minutes. If the mix gets to thick, add a little more broth.
During that time, preheat the oven to 250°C recirculating heat.
Grease a baking tray, (aluminium) grilling tray or just place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray (although 250°C is a little high for the paper).
Place the paneer cubes on the tray and grill them until the corners and edges of the cheese turn into an appetizing brown color.
Mix the grilled paneer cubes with the spinach sauce. Add fresh coriander as well.
Before serving remove cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom pods.

Matar Pulao:
250g Basmati rice
1/2 onion
1/2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp of the spice mix used for the spinach sauce
a good handvoll of peas, fresh or frozen
clarified butter/Ghee
salt

Wash the rice to remove excess starch, then soak in cold water for 10-15 minutes.
Heat up some ghee in a large enough pot and gently sweat onion and cinnamon stick until the onions turn glassy.
Add spice mix and garlic-ginger paste, fry a bit then add the uncooked rice and the peas and fry them for a short time.
Add a pinch of salt and about 1,5 amount of cold water.
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer until the water has been absorbed, don't stir or the rice will get stodgy. If the rice if not done yet, add a little boiling water and cook a bit longer.
Take the pot off the heat and let it rest with the lid on for about 5 minutes until all water is absorbed by the rice.
Fluff up the rice with a fork.

Serve the finished Palak Paneer in small bowls, together with the Matar pulao, for everybody at the table to share.
Please enjoy your meal. :)