Palak Paneer

Paneer in spinach gravy

पालक पनीर

palak = spinach, paneer = cheese

Active: ~40 min
Yield
Pairs with: , , or rice; sits well next to a dal in a thali.

Start Cook Mode

Ingredients

400 g , cubed
400 g spinach leaves
2 , chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
1 tsp
2
½ tsp
a pinch
4 small pinches (spicy)
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
salt
¾ cup water
3 tbsp

Steps

1.Melt 2 tbsp butter; golden, ~3–4 min. Set aside.
2.: 1–2 min in boiling water, then cold water. Blend three-quarters smooth; finely chop the rest.
3.In the same pan, heat 3 tbsp oil with cumin and bay leaves. Once they , add onions, garlic, ginger; .
4.Stir in turmeric, salt, cayenne, hing; cook 1–2 min.
5.Add the spinach paste, chopped spinach, and ¾ cup water. Simmer 5 min; adjust salt.
6.Remove the bay leaves.
7.Return the paneer; cook 2 min. Stir in the cream.
8.Serve straight away with naan or rice.

Variations

Saag Paneer: saag means mixed greens (spinach + mustard greens, fenugreek), so it's earthier than pure-spinach palak.

Vegan: firm tofu and coconut cream instead of paneer and cream.

Core Punjabi cooking — dairy and greens, the two things the region grows in plenty. The smart step is the spinach for barely a minute and cooling it fast, which keeps the bright green instead of the dull brown of overcooked spinach. Keeping some spinach chopped (not all blended) gives the gravy texture.