Palak Paneer
Palak Paneer is a smooth, creamy, and healthy Indian curry dish. It is usually made with fresh spinach, paneer (Indian cottage cheese), basic Indian whole spices, powders, herbs and with or without cream. This Spinach Paneer curry is one of the best side dishes that are popular across the globe. And it tastes great with roti, chapati, naan, rice, or pulao for lunch and dinner. The best part is it tastes similar to your favorite Indian restaurants around.
Adjust servings
Ingredients
For Paste
- 20 Cashew Nuts
- 4 Green Chili
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1½ cup Spinach, tightly packed
For Curry
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 4 Cloves
- 4 Cardamom
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Onion, chopped, medium size
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Paprika, or kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tbsp Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- Salt, as needed
- ½ cup Tomato, chopped
- 2 cup Water
- 1 lb Paneer
- ¼ tsp Kasoori methi
- 2 tsp Heavy Cream, to garnish
Instructions
To make Palak(spinach) Paste
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add cashew nuts and green chili. Saute until the chilies turn aromatic
- Add the spinach leaves and saute until it wilts
- Now transfer the spinach mixture into a jar and blend until it turns into a smooth paste. Reserve this spinach paste for later use
To make Palak Paneer
- In a pan with medium heat, add butter and allow it to melt. Then add the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, and cumin seeds. Saute until everything turns aromatic
- Add the onions and saute until it turns soft and caramelized
- Now add the ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder, salt, and saute until everything turns fragrant
- Add the tomatoes and saute until it turns soft and mushy
- Now add the reserved palak paste and give it a good mix
- Add 2 cups of water and give it a mix. (Note I have poured 1 cup of water into a blender jar to reuse the leftover paste and 1 cup of plain water)
- Close the pan with its lid and cook the palak mixture for 5 to 7 minutes
- Open the lid and simmer the heat. Now add the paneer cubes to palak curry and give it a good mix
- Let the Palak Paneer simmer for 2 to 3 minutes and finally garnish with some crushed kasoori methi
To Serve
- Top the Palak Paneer with 2 tsp of heavy cream and serve it with naan, paratha, chapati, roti, matar pulao, or plain basmati rice
Video
Notes
- Choose tender Spinach - Always make sure to choose tender and young spinach leaves without stems to achieve a bitter-less and tasty curry
- For thick curry - I have sauteed spinach with cashew nuts that deliver a thick and rich curry. However, you can also skip the cashews and substitute them with heavy cream for similar results. In that case, I recommend blanching the spinach and pureeing them in a blender for the paste preparation. The rest of the process remains the same and add the heavy cream before adding the paneer cubes
- For soft Paneer - Even though you can make your homemade paneer, I never had an issue with store-bought paneer. Soaking the cubed paneer in warm water for at least 10 to 15 minutes makes them soft and helps to avoid turning rubbery
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1104IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 492mg | Iron: 1mg
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