Baked Palak Paneer Rice

A visual delight, it is also healthy.

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Servings: 4

 Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
 Category: Veg

 Ingredients:

•	For palak layer
•	Spinach puree	1 cup
•	Cooked basmati rice	1 cup
•	Oil	2 tablespoons
•	Onion ,chopped	1 medium
•	Salt	to taste
•	Garam masala powder	a pinch
•	For paneer layer
•	Cottage cheese (paneer),crumbled	300 grams
•	Cooked basmati rice	1 cup
•	Oil	2 tablespoons
•	Tomato basil pasta sauce	2 tablespoons
•	Salt	to taste
•	Dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi),roasted	a pinch
•	Spinach leaves (palak),cut into thin strips	45
•	Oil	to deep fry
•	Sesame oil (til oil)	1 tablespoon
•	Red chilli flakes	1 teaspoon
•	Salt	to taste
•	Sugar	1 tablespoon
•	Sesame oil (til oil),toasted	1 tablespoon

Method
Heat 2 tbsps oil in a non stick wok and 2 tbsps oil in a non stick pan. Add cumin seeds to the wok and when they begin to change colour, add garlic and saute for ½ minute. Add onion and saute.

Add crumbled cottage cheese to the pan and saute. Add tomato basil pasta sauce and mix well. Add spinach puree to the wok and mix. Preheat an oven to 180°C.
Heat all the rice in the microwave. 

Add salt and garam masala powder to the spinach mixture and mix well. Add salt and dried fenugreek leaves to the cottage cheese mixture and mix well. Add half the rice to the spinach mixture and half to the cottage cheese mixture and mix well.

Adjust salt in both the wok and the pan and cook for a minute. Grease a round steel mould over an oven proof plate. Put some of the spinach rice and press well. Over this put a layer of cottage cheese rice and press. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. You can serve it without baking too.

Top with a little crackling spinach and serve hot.
To make crackling spinach deep fry spinach strips till crisp. Drain on absorbent paper. Heat sesame oil in a non stick pan, add red chilli flakes and immediately add the fried spinach. Sprinkle salt, sugar and toasted sesame seeds and toss.