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Palak paneer
Paneer in spinach sauce
Palak paneer: paneer in a smooth, garlicky spinach purée finished with a little cream
Palak paneer is a Punjabi winter favourite, made when fresh spinach piles up in the markets of Amritsar and Ludhiana, and now cooked on weeknights all over India with makki di roti, naan or rice. The spinach is blanched for just a minute, blended smooth and cooked with fried garlic, onion, tomato and gentle spices, then soft cubes of paneer are folded in. Paneer is acid-set, so it contains no animal rennet. The usual mistake is overcooking the spinach, which turns the sauce khaki and bitter: blanch it briefly, cool it fast, and simmer the purée for only a few minutes. Chef's tip: fry a little extra sliced garlic in ghee and pour it over just before serving for the classic dhaba finish.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the spinach
- 1 ⅛ lb spinachwashed, thick stalks removed
- 4 ¼ cups iced water
For the curry
- 9 oz paneercut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp ghee or sunflower oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onionmedium, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 tomatomedium, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 3 tbsp single cream
To finish
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp ghee (optional)
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What you'll need
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Drop in 1 ⅛ lb spinach and 2 green chillies and blanch for 1 minute, just until the leaves wilt and turn bright green.
3 minStep 2: Lift them straight into 4 ¼ cups iced water so they keep their colour, then drain, squeeze lightly and blend to a smooth purée with 3–4 tbsp of cold water.
2 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp ghee or sunflower oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let it sizzle for 20 seconds, then fry 1 onion until soft and light golden, about 4 minutes.
5 minStep 4: Add 5 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp fresh ginger and fry for 1 minute until fragrant, then add 1 tomato, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder and 1 tsp salt and cook until the tomato is soft and mushy, about 3 minutes.
4 minStep 5: Pour in the spinach purée and simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Do not cook it longer, or it loses its colour.
3 minStep 6: Fold in 9 oz paneer, ½ tsp garam masala and 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and heat for 2 minutes until the paneer is hot through. Turn off the heat and swirl in 3 tbsp single cream.
2 minStep 7: For the finish, if using, fry 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced in 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan until pale gold, about 1 minute, and pour it over the curry. Serve at once.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does palak paneer take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of paneer?
- Firm tofu, pressed and cubed (vegan; season it well).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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