Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is one of India’s most-loved vegetarian dishes. Besides its flavourful taste, this dish sums up various health benefits as it contains numerous nutrients. 

This delicious palak paneer recipe goes well with paratha, naan, roti, or rice. Making this dish is easy and fuss-free. 

The homestyle recipe of palak paneer is made with easy ingredients and comes out delicious every single time. Making this dish takes 40 to 45 minutes, which includes 30 minutes for preparation and 10 minutes for cooking.

 

Ingredients in This Palak Paneer Recipe

Oil, ghee, or butter- You need to take 2 tablespoons of oil, ghee, or butter as you desire and heat it.  

Cumin seed- Add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seed (jeera) in heated oil for tempering. 

Asafoetida- ¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida (Hing) in heated oil for tampering enhances the taste and aroma. 

Bay leaf- 1 small bay leaf (tej patta) in heated oil; it offers a delightful and slightly spicy aroma. 

Cloves- 3 to 4 cloves in heated oil besides other ingredients for tampering. 

Onion- ⅓ cup of finely chopped onion add, which acts well with your diet and gives a sweet taste. And use ⅓ cup of ring onions while serving the palak paneer. 

Garlic and Ginger paste- Make a paste of ginger and garlic and use 1 tablespoon in the gravy to enhance the taste. 

Salt- Salt is a necessary ingredient that intensifies the taste, and the amount of usage depends on your taste. 

Turmeric Powder- ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, which enhances the taste, provides vibrant colour, and eliminates bitterness of Spinach.  

Coriander Powder- 1 teaspoon coriander powder provides the gravy’s a slightly soft, sweet taste and aromatic touch. 

Red chilli Powder- ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder offers the gravy a spicy and flavoursome taste. 

Fenugreek leaves- 1 teaspoon crushed dried Kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves), this herb 

Garam Masala- ¼ teaspoon of garam masala, a mixture of many different spices.   

Paneer- Paneer is the main ingredient of palak paneer; use 200 to 300 grams of fresh paneer cut into cubes. 

Cream- 2 tablespoons of fresh cooking cream of your desirable brand. But remember to use only 1 tablespoon of cream if you use heavy cream. 

Tips To Get the Recipe Right

Here are some tips to get the perfect palak paneer recipe out of your kitchen:

– Treat the spinach right

Palak or spinach is the hero of this dish, so it needs to be treated right. Fresh, seasonal spinach works best. For the bright green colour, the spinach is blanched in hot water for just a few minutes, and immediately transferred to ice cold water. This not only adds to the vibrancy of the dish but also ensures the spinach is cooked halfway through before we add it to the final gravy.

– Use fresh paneer

Use fresh, and good quality paneer for best results. You can also fry the paneer in ghee before you add to the gravy.

– Onions

Onions play an important role in this palak paneer recipe. The onions need to be fried till they turn golden brown. This step is important to lend a unique taste to your palak paneer. The onion needs frying for a while along with the rest of the spices till it starts to sweat, turn translucent, and ultimately oil starts to release from the sides. That’s when you can add the spinach puree.

Steps For Making  

Making of Spinach Puree:

Step 1- Take the Spinach according to the amount mentioned above, wash and clean it before boiling it into water. 

Step 2- Take 3 cups of water in a pot, pan, or electric heater, add ¼ teaspoon of salt into the water and add Spinach to the water. 

Step 3- Blanch the Spinach in water for 2 to 3 minutes, then immediately take them out and put them into ice water, which helps retain their vibrant green colour. 

Step 4- Then, take the Spinach from cold water and press it to remove any excess moisture. 

Step 5- Use a blender or grinder jar to blend the Spinach with garlic cloves, ginger, and chili peppers (amount mentioned above) to make a smooth spinach puree.   

Making of Main Gravy:

Step 6- Add oil, ghee, or butter into a frying pan for tampering and heat it. 

Step 7- Add cumin seed, bay leaf, asafoetida, clove, and onion to the hot oil. 

Step 8- Stir the ingredients and saute them at low to medium flame until the onion turns slightly golden. 

Step 9- Now, add ginger-garlic paste, finely stir the ingredients and saute them until the paste leaves its aroma. 

Step 10- Add tomato and salt, then saute well until the tomato is mashed, mix well and become soft. 

Step 11- Now add other spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander, Powder, and garam masala and mix well. 

Step 12- Saute the ingredients well, till a flavourful aroma comes out, cook it for 2 to 3 minutes, then add Kasuri methi. 

Step 13- Add the spinach puree when the gravy becomes thick, then mix well, cover the lid and cook it at medium flame for 10 minutes. 

Step 14- Now, you can check the taste of palak paneer gravy and add some salt if needed. 

Step 15- Add paneer cubes to the pan, stir in the paneer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.  

Step 16- Then add cream after cooking for 5 minutes and stir the gravy gently.

Step 17- Lastly, switch off the flame, add lemon juice and mix well to give the touch of sour flavour.   

You can garnish palak paneer with onion rings, lemon slices, chopped ginger, and a teaspoon of cooking cream, which look amazing and delightful. Now, you can serve it with roti, naan, rice, or paratha. 

Let’s take a look at the recipe:

Preparation time –  30 minutes

Cook time – 40 minutes

Serves – 4

I hope you try this delicious Palak Paneer recipe soon. If you have any doubts, comments, or feedback, please reach out to me in comments or my social media handles.

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Happy cooking!