Palak paneer
Palak paneer is undoubtedly the most famous spinach based dish of North India made from paneer, mild species and spinach. The paneer is marinated in salt, garam masala, cumin & coriander powder and shallow fried. At the time of serving, the paneer cubes are added to the spinach gravy and served with rice or naan.
Palak panner has a very subtle taste, predominantly of spinach. The spinach, green chillies and coriander leaves gives a dark green colour to the dish. Add some heavy cream to bring in a rich creamy texture.
What you'll need
1 large bunch spinach
1 medium sized onion very finely diced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup paneer diced into cubes of 1 cm
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp each of garam masala, turmeric, cumin & coriander powder
2 green chillies sliced lengthwise
Water for boiling spinach
Salt as per taste
1/4 cup cream
Oil for shallow frying
How to
Clean the spinach in some flowing water. Boil around 3 cups of water in a deep bottomed pan. Add spinach and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Strain the spinach and make a puree from it. Do not throw away the water used to blanch the green leaves. It can be used later to add to the gravy or keep it in fridge and use it as a broth.
Marinate the paneer cubes in some salt, garam masala, cumin & coriander powder and allow to rest for at-least half an hour. In a non stick pan, shallow fry the paneer cubes on medium heat with very little oil. Remove excess oil by placing the panner on a kitchen tissue.
Now heat around 1 tbsp of oil in the same pan and add the cumin seeds. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add the chopped onions and cook until translucent. Add the sliced green chillies, garam masala, turmeric, cumin & coriander powder and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach puree and let it cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes on medium heat. By now the raw smell should have gone, and the gravy starts releasing oil. Add the water used to cook spinach if the gravy turns very thick. Add cream to give the gravy a rich texture. Finally add the paneer cubes to the gravy, give a little stir and immediately turn off the heat. Allow the gravy to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
PS: Add the paneer cubes at the very end, or else it will dissolve in the gravy.
