Palak Paneer Recipe- Indian Spinach Paneer

Palak Paneer recipe is one of the most popular paneer recipes in North India. In this creamy and savory stew, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is cooked with spinach and spices. It’s delicious with naan, paratha, or jeera rice. My mother would only eat spinach if it was prepared with paneer in palak paneer when we were kids.

It was a fantastic way to sneak in some greens. They wouldn’t touch spinach otherwise, but if it came with paneer, they’d cheerfully eat bowls of it. Palak Paneer is a popular dish in northern India. It’s one of the most popular paneer recipes in Indian households. It was considerably more common in my house than, for instance, paneer butter masala or shahi paneer. Perhaps because it was thought to be healthier than the other creamy types of paneer. Whatever the cause, we were always overjoyed when Mom made it!

What exactly is Palak Paneer?

In Hindi, palak means spinach.

Paneer is a type of Indian cottage cheese.

As a result, this dish contains spinach and Indian cottage cheese.

The spinach is blanched before being pureed. It is then spiced and boiled on low heat with paneer. The cream is used to reduce the harshness of the spinach leaves while also making them richer. If you don’t want to use cream, you can substitute yogurt or milk.

How to Make Palak Paneer

Everyone has their unique technique of creating this meal, and to be honest, I prepare it differently every time.

This recipe is pretty basic, and I’d describe it as a home-style palak paneer recipe. It makes use of basic spices and ingredients. I blanch the spinach before pureeing it for the curry. After the spinach has been boiled, place it in a bowl of ice-cold water. This aids in the preservation of the spinach’s color.

The spinach puree, tomato, onion, ginger, and garlic flavor the curry. I use a lot of garlic since spinach and garlic work so well together in my opinion. If you are not a fan, you can reduce your intake or avoid it entirely. You can even leave out the tomatoes if you choose. It will still be fantastic!

For this palak paneer recipe, I frequently use my own paneer. It truly is the greatest. If you use store-bought paneer, just soak it in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes before using it in the recipe. The store-bought paneer will be extremely soft.

Many people choose to pan-fried their paneer before adding it to the recipe. I’m not a fan because I like basic soft paneer. However, if desired, pan-fried the paneer cubes in 1 to 2 teaspoons oil till golden brown before adding to the dish.

Because spinach is a touch bitter, I add little cream and sugar to help lessen the taste. You can also add a little sugar, but this is entirely optional.

You can cut the hassle and buy Palak Paneer here 

Ingredients

• ▢350 grams spinach

• ▢1 medium tomato

• ▢5 large garlic cloves divided, 3 whole and 2 finely chopped

• ▢1-inch ginger

• ▢1 green chili or more to taste

• ▢1 tablespoon oil 15 ml, I used avocado oil

• ▢1 large onion finely chopped

• ▢1/2 cup water or as needed

• ▢3/4-1 teaspoon garam masala

• ▢1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

• ▢1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste

• ▢salt to taste

• ▢2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or adjust to taste

• ▢225 grams of paneer cut into cubes

• ▢1/2 tablespoon kasuri methi crushed, dried fenugreek leaves

• ▢lemon juice to taste

Directions

• To a pot of boiling water, add a little salt and then spinach leaves to it. Blanch the spinach leaves for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted.
• Take them out and put them in ice-cold water. This helps the leaves in retaining their green color.
• To a blender, add the blanched spinach along with tomato, 3 cloves of garlic, ginger, and green chili. Puree to a smooth paste and set aside.
• Heat a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and then add the remaining 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until it starts changing color.
• Then add the chopped onions. Cook the onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and translucent.
• Add in the prepared spinach puree and mix. Also, add around 1/2 cup of water at the point.
• Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. The spinach will bubble a lot. Stir at regular intervals to avoid sticking at the bottom.
• Once the spinach is cooked, add the garam masala, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. Mix and cook for 1 minute.
• You may also add ½ teaspoon of sugar at this point if you like.
• Then add the heavy cream and mix.
• Stir in the paneer and mix. Let the curry simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Switch off the flame, add lemon juice and kasuri methi, and mix.
• Serve palak paneer hot with naan or roti or rice.