How To Make Palak Paneer, Indian Cottage Cheese in Mashed Spinach?
Palak Paneer is comfort food for me. I have a habit of recollecting the day s events before going to bed. I know this leads to the many hungry dreams i have of cupcakes, fondant, mutter paneer and vegetable biriyani. For some reason, only these make an appearance in my dreams and that too very frequently. I see cupcakes in all shapes and sizes, like the other day i saw a cupcake in the shape of a porcupine. I know it was a cupcake because it had muffin liners underneath. So, dont question my conclusion. Anyway, while i recollect, my mind does some tagging work all of its own. According to my inner eye, some recipes are tagged as all time classics. Like dum aloo, mutter paneer, chocolate lava cake, bisi bele bath and then palak paneer. My version of palak paneer doesnt call for many spices and banks on the flavors of paneer and spinach. You may also add a dash of cream at the end to make this more delicious.
I am sending Palak Paneer to Bon Vivant Savory, I m the star by Rasya, Healthy Morsels Pregnancy, For You Mom By Nupurand Lets Cook Greens
Recipe For Palak Paneer
Palak Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- Fresh spinach leaves 1 bunch or 250g chopped finely
- Onions 2 medium chopped finely
- Tomato 1 medium chopped finely
- Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
- Paneer cubes ¾ cup
- Green chili 1
- Sugar a small pinch or ⅛th of a tsp
- Oil 1 and ½ tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Spice Powders:
- Punjabi Garam Masala ½ tsp
- Red chili powder ¼ tsp
Instructions
- Clean the spinach.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once the water begins boiling, immerse the spinach in it for just 3 mins.
- After 3 mins, drain all the hot water and immediately dunk the spinach in ice cold water for about 2 mins.
- Drain water and let stand for a minute.
- After a minute, place the spinach and green chili in a blender and grind to a smooth puree.
- Keep aside.
- Heat a kadai with oil. Add the chopped onions and saute till light brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste next and saute for 30 to 40 secs.
- Add the chopped tomatoes next and saute till oil separates.
- Add all the spice powders and combine well. Saute for about 30 secs on medium flame.
- Add the pureed spinach to this mixture along with a tiny pinch of sugar. Stir well.
- Cook closed for about 5 to 7 mins.
- Add salt and paneer to the gravy and cook without covering for another 5 mins.
Notes
Onions 2 medium chopped finely
Tomato 1 medium chopped finely
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Paneer cubes ¾ cup
Green chili 1
Sugar a small pinch or ⅛th of a tsp
Oil 1 and ½ tbsp
Salt to taste Spice Powders: Punjabi Garam Masala ½ tsp
Red chili powder ¼ tsp Note: 1. Substitute Paneer with Bean curd(tofu) for a vegan version.
2. This recipe has been updated on 20.11.2014.
3. Addition of sugar helps in retaining the color of the spinach.
4. The blanching process mentioned in the directions plays an important role in maintaining the flavors in this recipe. So do follow those steps even though they are a little extensive. Directions Clean the spinach.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once the water begins boiling, immerse the spinach in it for just 3 mins.
After 3 mins, drain all the hot water and immediately dunk the spinach in ice cold water for about 2 mins.
Drain water and let stand for a minute.
After a minute, place the spinach and green chili in a blender and grind to a smooth puree.
Keep aside.
Heat a kadai with oil. Add the chopped onions and saute till light brown.
Add ginger garlic paste next and saute for 30 to 40 secs.
Add the chopped tomatoes next and saute till oil separates.
Add all the spice powders and combine well. Saute for about 30 secs on medium flame.
Add the pureed spinach to this mixture along with a tiny pinch of sugar. Stir well.
Cook closed for about 5 to 7 mins.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Rasi says
thanks for linking this to my events.. its been a long time since i could see this entry.. the paneer looks lovely!<br /><br /><a href="http://rascookbook.blogspot.com/2012/03/wtml-event-announcement-giveaway.html" rel="nofollow">Ongoing Event : WTML</a>
Umm Mymoonah says
I liked the way you have retained the colour of the palak, the sauce looks perfect and yummy! Thank you for linking with Healthy Morsels 🙂
Lecker and Yummy Recipes says
I love Palak Paneer too and glad to join ur list and ur "club" :). This looks perfect and a beautiful write-up. Thank u Anusha for linking it with Healthy Morsels 🙂
Radhika says
I love this creamy saucy palak paneer anytime with rotis of course when some one does the cleaning of the greens for me. i hate that job.
Sumee says
Umm… looks nice.. I guess I am in the 50% who do Love it. :o). thnx for linking up
Aarthi says
palak paneer is my fav..i love it so much..this looks awesome
Aruna Manikandan says
looks perfect and delicious 🙂
Kanan says
love the green color. I never tried steaming spinach. looks fantastic
Santosh Bangar says
healthy tempting dish
schmetterlingwords says
Thanks for calling me 'wonderful' (I definitely fall into that 50% who love Palak paneer). Your bowl looks sooo delicious and finger licking good, packed with all the goodness of palak and paneer. Thank you for linking it with Healthy Morsels – Pregnancy 🙂
Santosh Bangar says
healthy dish clicks are super
Kalpana Sareesh says
love the color of palak which is retained in the gravy..
Poonam Borkar says
looks fabulous..perfectly done!!<br /><a href="http://www.spicy-aroma.com/" rel="nofollow"><b>Spicy-Aroma</b></a>