Palak Paneer Recipe
Made using paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and spinach puree, this palak paneer curry is a delight to eat with any Indian bread. Follow my simple recipe to make it at home.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
To Blanch The Spinach
- 200 grams spinach (palak)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2-3 green chilies stalks removed
To Make Onion-Tomato Masala
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 dry red chilies cut into small pieces
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 5-6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
To Make The Curry
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 200 grams paneer cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
For The Dhungar (Optional)
- 1 piece of coal
- 1 teaspoon ghee
For The Tempering (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 dry red chili cut into small pieces
Instructions
Blanch The Spinach
- Heat 5-6 cups of water in a large pot.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add the baking soda, green chilies, and spinach, and blanch the spinach for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile take another large pot and fill it with water. Add 10-15 ice cubes to it to make it cold.
- Now transfer the spinach from the boiling water to the ice cold water and let it rest for 2 minutes.
- Now drain the water and keep the spinach aside on your kitchen counter.
Make The Onion-Tomato Masala
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and dried red chilies.
- Let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add onion and garlic, and fry until onion turns light brown (5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add coriander powder and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove the pan from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
Puree The Ingredients
- Transfer the blanched spinach to a blender with the onion-tomato mixture and ½ cup of water. Blend until smooth.
Make The Curry
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the spinach masala paste. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add garam masala powder, paneer, salt, and ½ cup water and mix well. Bring the curry to a boil.
- Add fresh cream at this stage if you want to.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Switch off the heat, add lime juice, and mix well.
Dhungar (Optional)
- Heat a piece of coal until it is red hot. Place a bowl inside the bowl with curry and a piece of coal on top of it. Pour a teaspoon of ghee on top of the coal and immediately close the lid of the main bowl.
- Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Open the lid, remove the coal piece and the small bowl, and gently mix the curry.
Tempering (Optional)
- Heat ghee in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and dry red chilies and fry until garlic turns golden brown.
- Pour the tempering over the curry. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
If the paneer is hard or chewy, soak it in warm water for 15 minutes to soften it.
You can skip adding cream when making this curry for home-style meals, but I do add a little when I have guests or when I am making it for special occasions, such as festivals or parties.
If you follow a vegan diet, consider replacing paneer with firm tofu and heavy cream with almond cream, coconut cream, or cashew cream; however, you may want to rename the dish 'palak tofu'.
To replace 200g of fresh spinach, you’ll need approximately 75–80g of frozen spinach (after thawing and draining excess water).
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 572mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5450IU | Vitamin C: 77.1mg | Calcium: 327mg | Iron: 2.4mg
