When I moved from Memphis to Montana for my graduate program in environmental philosophy, I missed the Indian community I grew up around. Montana mountains are gorgeous, but for me, Montana was also snowy in more sense than one.
I could not even find a Patel Brothers shop for achar, or mango pickle, and there were no aunties around for miles. The nearest Indian restaurant was run by nice white folks who charged 50 cents for chutney with an order of aloo ki tiki. That is like charging money for ketchup when someone orders fries.
I had no choice but to learn how to cook at 23. In the process, I felt less lonely. Traditional practices like oiling my hair, making chai, speaking the language, even if it was just to myself, felt ritualistic, connecting me to the cultural community I was missing. After some practice, I had a plethora of dishes I was able to cook, like dahl, sabji, bangain aloo, and even palak paneer, a fan favorite.
Although, there was a twist: I’m vegan. That means no paneer, or full-fat buffalo cheese; no ghee or clarified butter; and no dairy. I experimented with tofu, cashews, and coconut cream, trying to retain the creaminess, texture, and flavor of the dish without dairy. But I found myself wondering: is this even palak paneer?
Does making palak paneer vegan strip the dish of its authenticity? This is a question that children of immigrants are often confronted with. How do we honor tradition when tradition is always shifting? I worried that my palak paneer was less valid or real. But then I thought about Tex-Mex cuisine. No one confuses Tex-Mex for traditional Mexican food, but it does not need to be. It is authentic in its own category, born out of cultural blending and adaptation.
So no, I don’t see my vegan palak paneer as inauthentic. I see it as a continuation of culinary tradition in a way that reflects both who I am and where I am. It brings me comfort, reminding me of my roots and allows me to share Indian flavors with friends and neighbors, even if the ingredients come from an Iowa farmers’ market rather than a bazaar in Delhi.
For me, globalization is not just an abstract idea from philosophy class. It is what’s on my plate. There is some India, some Iowa, some Vibi. The result is not “impure.” It’s beautiful.
Visit my YouTube channel to watch a full tutorial for this recipe: @vibisarina
Vegan Palak Paneer
Ingredients for palak:
- 2 ½ red onions, chopped
- 2 big tomatoes, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger
- 2 Thai chili peppers, chopped and seeds removed
- 2 boxes or bags of frozen, chopped spinach (approximately 10 oz)
- 1 bag or box of fresh spinach, chopped (approximately 10 oz)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 12 cashews (approximately 1/8th cup)
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Ingredients for “paneer”:
- 1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Press the tofu to try to get as much water out of it as you can. The longer you leave the tofu to press, the better the texture will come out. (I used to use two plates, paper towels, and a stack of books to press the tofu, changing out the paper towels sometimes. However, if you have an actual tofu press, this will take much less time. For a tofu press, press the tofu for 15-20 minutes.)
Directions to make the palak:
1. While the tofu is being pressed, chop the box or bag of fresh spinach and set aside for later. Chop the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and Thai chili peppers. Take the seeds out of the Thai chili peppers.
2. Put the 12 cashews in water and let them soak for 10-15 minutes.
3. Peel the ginger and beat it in a mortar and pestle for a few seconds to allow the ginger juice to release better when you later sauté it. Chop the ginger into about six pieces.
4. Sauté six cloves of chopped garlic, desired amount of Thai chili peppers, and the ginger pieces in a pot on the stove with 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
5. When this becomes fragrant, add the chopped red onions and tomatoes to the same pot already containing the ginger, garlic, and Thai chili peppers.
6. After the tomatoes have released most of their water content and the onions have caramelized, add the paprika, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and salt (or salt to taste).
7. Add one box or bag of frozen spinach to the pot and allow that to cook down while stirring the mixture to keep the bottom from burning.
8. After the frozen spinach has mostly cooked down, add the other box or bag of frozen spinach. Continue to stir and keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
9. After the frozen spinach has cooked down, add the fresh chopped spinach, which was previously set aside, to the pot. Continue stirring, frequently scraping the bottom of the pot with the spatula or spoon.
10. After the fresh spinach has wilted, add ¾ of the mixture in the pot into a blender or Vitamix. Add the 12 soaked cashews to the blender or Vitamix as well. Blend together.
11. Add the contents of the blender or Vitamix back into the pot. This is now the creamy spinach, or “palak,” for the palak paneer dish.
Directions to make the paneer:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Remove the tofu from the press. Cut it into approximately 16 equally-sized cubes.
3. Add the tofu cubes to a lidded container with the olive oil, paprika, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and salt. Put the lid on the container and shake for about 2 minutes so that the tofu cubes are evenly coated with olive oil and spices.
4. Spread the tofu cubes onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Flip the tofu and bake for another 15 minutes.
5. Remove the tofu “paneer” from oven and add it into the pot of creamy spinach “palak.” Stir together.
6. Serve hot with rice.
Vibi Bakshi is a philosophy professor and a University of Iowa law student with a focus on animal and environmental ethics. She can be contacted at viovibi@gmail.com. For questions or comments regarding the Vegan Community of Eastern Iowa, email veganeasterniowa@gmail.com or visit veganeasterniowa.org. Everyone is welcome to join VCEI on Facebook or Meetup.
