Palak paneer without the paneer (Indian spinach and cheese)

Did I already mention that I have an Indian food obsession? If not, well ... I do. I love eating Indian food and I always try to recreate it at home (with various degrees of success).
As always, this recipe is too tasty to last until I take a picture of it.

I never tasted paneer (Indian cheese), but based on the pictures I saw, I imagine it tastes like halloumi. So my paneer substitution in this recipe is halloumi(or any other type of cheese for the grill) because I don't have a cheese cloth to produce my own and I did not find a shop where I could buy paneer. Theoretically, if you have a cheese cloth or you always wanted to buy one, making paneer is very easy, you just combine some milk with lemon juice and wait a few hours.
The combination of spinach with tomato and cheese was a revelation for me because the acidity of the tomato and the salt from the cheese go very well with the spinach.
This recipe is fast-ish and a good option for a vegetarian weeknight meal. As its deliciousness is given by the onion, garlic, ginger and condiments, be very generous when using them and always use fresh condiments as they lose their taste after a while.

Ingredients:

• oil 
• 1 onion 
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
• 2 teaspoons garam masala 
• ½ teaspoon turmeric 
• 1 ripe tomato 
• 600 g frozen spinach (preferably chopped)
• 50 ml single cream 
• sea salt 
• freshly ground black pepper
• 200g halloumi or any other white cheese

Method:

• Cut the cheese into 2 cm chunks. 
• If you aren't using halloumi or any other type of grill cheese skip this step. Heat a lug of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the cheese and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden, stirring frequently. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a double layer of kitchen paper to drain. 
• Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger. 
• Return the pan to a medium-low heat, adding a splash more oil, if needed. Add the cumin seeds, fry for 1 minute, then add the onion and cook for around 8 minutes, or until softened.
• Stir in the garlic, ginger, garam masala and turmeric. 
• Halve, deseed and very finely chop the tomato, add to the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the frozen spinach, cover and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the cream, cheese and a splash of boiling water. 
• Reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes with the lid off, or until reduced to a deliciously creamy consistency. 
• Season to taste and serve immediately.