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Palak paneer

Palak paneer

Sunita Bhuyan
An Indian dish of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cubes in a spinach gravy. Soft cubes of paneer in a smooth spinach gravy- the perfect accompaniment to Indian flatbreads and rice.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 280 gms spinach leaves, washed well and drained
  • 400 gms paneer, cut into small pieces (see notes below)
  • a small bunch of fresh coriander
  • 2 fresh green or red chillies; I used red
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • ½ tsp salt (see notes below)
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 2 cups water

For tempering

  • 1 tsp ghee OR butter OR oil (see notes below)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 dried red chillies
  • 2 one inch stick of cinnamon
  • 5 pods of cardamom
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds

Instructions
 

  • Ina pan, add the spinach, fresh coriander, fresh chillies, garlic, cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, kasuri methi, salt and water.
  • Put the lid on the pan and place over high heat for 3 minutes.
  • Stir well, reduce the heat to low and cook covered for another 4 minutes.
  • Stir again, cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • Increase the heat to high and cook for another minute.
  • Turn off he heat.
  • Transfer the spinach mixture along with all the juices to a blender and puree the mixture.
  • Place the puree n a pan and add the paneer and garam masala powder.
  • Mix everything together gently (the paneer will crumble otherwise) and place the pan, covered, over low heat.
  • Meanwhile, heat a small pan and add the ghee/oil or butter.
  • Add all the ingredients for tempering and stir till the spices begin to splutter and release their aroma.
  • Transfer everything from the small pan with the tempering into the pan with the paneer and spinach gravy and stir in.
  • Cover and cook for minute.
  • Stir, raise the heat slightly ( between low and medium), cover and cook for another minute. Check the seasoning and add more salt if you need to.
  • Stir and remove from heat.
  • Serve hot with Indian flatbreads or rice.

Video

Notes

  • Check the salt towards the end of cooking and adjust accordingly. I added only a tiny bit more at the end and that was enough for us; do it according to your taste.
  • If you wish, before adding the paneer to the spinach gravy, you can lightly fry the paneer pieces in a little oil till golden. I prefer not to do this as we like the creaminess of the paneer.
  • As I have mentioned, if you do not have ghee, you can do the tempering in other oils or butter. But if you can get hold of the ghee, it will make it worthwhile as it gives a beautiful flavour to the dish. I have used only a small teaspoonful, and it was enough to make the dish fragrant.
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