Palak Paneer Recipe | How to make Spinach with Indian Cottage Cheese Curry
Palak paneer is a popular brilliant green curry from North Indian cuisine, prepared with spinach leaves and paneer.
It is a delectable curry dish that can be made in no time with very few ingredients. It’s a simple dish that even novice cooks can master.
It’s delicious while also being nutritious and healthy. Having it every day in moderate amounts is enough to gain all the nutrients that are required for one’s body.
Paneer is my go-to meal, but when it is palak paneer with roti it is the heavenly dish that I could ask for every day. My family just savors it and licks it off the plate whenever I prepare it at home for dinner.
Spinach is a golden-green leafy vegetable that is considered a superfood because of its numerous health benefits and impressive nutrient and mineral profile. It is rich in nutrients like vitamin A, C, D, K, iron, folate, and calcium with a chock of fiber and oxalate.
The blanching of palak is the most crucial step. It intensifies its bright green color and taste and helps pack the nutrients intact, reducing the concentration of oxalic acid.
Blanching is where we first immerse the leaves in the hot boiling water for a few minutes and then transfer them to the ice water before pureeing them.
Try other curry dishes featured in this blog Stuffed Brinjal, Rajma, Kadai Mushroom, Baby Potato Curry, Majjige Huli, Paneer butter masala, Matar paneer
Paneer is the next essential component in the curry, making it taste tastier and healthier. To make them softer, add them to warm water with salt and let them stay for 5–20 minutes.
I make this curry often, first I prepare the base of the curry by blending blanched palak leaves and sauteed green chilies, ginger-garlic, and cashews. Then, I fry the onions and tomatoes and pour in the blended puree
This delectable curry tastes best when paired with roti, naan, chapati, or flavored rice.
How to make Palak paneer curry
- Clean the spinach and remove the stems, then rinse them 2-3 times to remove any dirt particles.
2. In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, then turn off the heat and add the rinsed palak. Let it stay for 5 minutes.
3. Strain them and add them to the bowl of ice water. Allow them to stay for a few minutes before straining. Keep it aside
4. Rinse and slice the paneer into cubes.
5. Transfer them to a bowl of warm water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
6. In a kadai, heat the oil and sauté the green chilies for a minute.
7. Then add the roughly chopped ginger, garlic pods, and cashews and cook for a minute, or until the raw smell goes away.
8. Transfer all the ingredients, along with the blanched spinach, to a blender and purée until smooth.
9. In the same kadai, heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee and sputter cumin seeds.
10. Sauté the cinnamon and cloves until they turn fragrant.
11. Add the finely chopped onions and saute until they are caramelized.
12. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy.
13. Now, add the blended puree and Cook for a few minutes until it starts bubbling.
14. Add garam masala, salt, and half a cup of water, and cook till it thickens and oil starts to ooze out.
15. Then, add in the cubed paneer and simmer for 2 minutes, covered.
16. Sprinkle Kasuri methi and 2 tbsp fresh cream over the paneer once it has absorbed all the curry flavor.
17. Serve this wholesome and scrumptious Palak paneer with roti, naan, chapati, or rice
Palak Paneer | Spinach paneer curry
Ingredients
- 6 cups Water
- 2 bunches Spinach/palak
- 1 cup Ice water
- 2 tsp Salt
- 200 gms Paneer
- 2 tsp Oil
- 6-7 Green chilies
- 1 inch Ginger
- 10-15 pods Garlic
- 6-8 Cashews
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 4-5 Cloves
- 1 Onions Finely chopped
- 1 Tomato Finely chopped
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tbsp Fresh cream
- 1 tsp Kasuri methi
Instructions
- Clean the spinach and remove the stems, then rinse them 2-3 times to remove any dirt particles.
- In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, then turn off the heat and add the rinsed palak. Let it stay for 5 minutes.
- Strain them and add them to the bowl of ice water. Allow them to stay for a few minutes before straining. Keep it aside
- Rinse and slice the paneer into cubes.
- Transfer them to a bowl of warm water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- In a kadai, heat the oil and sauté the green chilies for a minute.
- Then add the roughly chopped ginger, garlic pods, and cashews and cook for a minute, or until the raw smell goes away.
- Transfer all the ingredients, along with the blanched spinach, to a blender and purée until smooth.
- In the same kadai, heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee and sputter cumin seeds.
- Sauté the cinnamon and cloves until they turn fragrant.
- Add the finely chopped onions and saute until they are caramelized.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy.
- Now, add the blended puree and Cook for a few minutes until it starts bubbling.
- Add garam masala, salt, and half a cup of water, and cook till it thickens and oil starts to ooze out.
- Add in the cubed paneer and simmer for 2 minutes, covered.
- Sprinkle Kasuri methi and 2 tbsp fresh cream over the paneer once it has absorbed all the curry flavor.
- Serve this wholesome and scrumptious Palak paneer with roti, naan, chapati, or rice.
