India · North Indian cuisine of Punjab
Palak paneer
Soft cubes of fresh paneer in a velvety, deep-green spinach gravy built on golden onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, scented with garam masala and dried fenugreek, finished with a swirl of cream.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | India
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: Lopanayak · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source · cropped
original Original text, written in English.
Read this recipe inespañol · translationEnglish · originalfrançais · translation
- Servings
- 4
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Cuisine / tradition: North Indian cuisine of Punjab (IN) — declared by the author
- Main dish
- Everyday
Ingredients
For 4 servings
- 400 g fresh spinach, washed
- 2 piece green chillies, seeded
- 10 piece cashews
- 60 ml water, for blending the spinach
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
- 1 piece medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 piece medium tomato, chopped or puréed
- 3/4 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 180 ml water, for the gravy
- 250 g paneer, in 2 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp cream (optional)
Method
- Step 1. If the paneer is store-bought, soak the cubes in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain. Rinse the spinach well.
- Step 2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a pan. Add the green chillies, the cashews and the spinach and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the spinach wilts and loses its raw smell. Do not overcook, or it will lose its colour.⏱ 4 min
- Step 3. Cool the spinach completely, then blend it with the 60 ml of water into a smooth, thick purée.
- Step 4. In the same pan heat the butter with the remaining oil. Add the cumin seeds if using, then the onion, and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden.⏱ 8 min
- Step 5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato and the salt and cook for about 6 minutes, until soft and mushy.⏱ 6 min
- Step 6. Add the garam masala and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the 180 ml of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.⏱ 5 min
- Step 7. Lower the heat. Crush the kasuri methi over the pan and add the spinach purée. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it just begins to bubble, adding a few tablespoons of hot water if too thick.⏱ 3 min
- Step 8. Add the paneer, stir gently and simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Swirl in the cream if using and serve hot with naan, roti or rice.⏱ 2 min
Story and cultural note
Palak paneer is a North Indian dish of paneer, fresh unaged cheese, in a spinach gravy; palak is the Hindi word for spinach. The sources agree on the base of spinach, onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, with paneer added at the end, and differ on whether the spinach is blanched, on the cream, and on cashews for body. The traditional method is to blanch the spinach and purée it, while other recipes cook it briefly without blanching to keep a brighter colour.
Tips for success
Cook the spinach just until it wilts and cool it before blending, to keep its colour bright. Soak store-bought paneer in hot water so that it stays soft, and add it at the very end. Cook the onion golden and the tomato until mushy, so that the gravy has depth. Do not boil the gravy hard after adding the spinach.
Serving and presentation
Serve hot in a shallow bowl with a swirl of cream, with naan, roti or basmati rice, and a few slices of red onion and lemon.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
DietVegetarianGluten-freeEgg-free
ContainsMilkTree nuts
