I have always only liked my mom’s version of this recipe. It is easy to make, a simple recipe, and all the nutrition of spinach is intact. Traditionally the spinach is blanched and added to the paneer, which helps retain the beautiful color of the spinach. But in this process, we lose the nutrients of spinach! I have found a way to incorporate wholesome nutrients, maintain the vibrant luscious green color, and make it delicious.
Mom’s Palak Paneer
One of the recipes that I loved more at home, and never enjoyed at a restaurant was this palak paneer recipe. My mom’s recipe is simple, yet very different from what I make, but it tastes the same. She blanches the spinach leaves and makes a puree first. Then cook the onions and aromatics along with whole spices until browned. Then add some homemade tomato puree, and let it cook until the oil separates. She finally adds the prepared spinach puree, along with spices. Once the curry comes to a soft boil, she adds the fresh succulent paneer. Finish off the curry with some garam masala and kasuri methi!
Make it Vegan
I like to cook my palak paneer in ghee, but to make it vegan you can substitute it with oil or vegan butter. Substitute paneer with firm tofu, and heavy cream with coconut milk, or coconut cream!
Difference between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer
In my opinion, saag paneer and palak paneer are two different recipes. While saag is made with a combination of collard greens, spinach, methi, and coriander leaves and stems, palak paneer is made of only spinach. To cook the saag, the greens are pressure cooked and blended into a coarse puree using a hand blender, further seasoned with makki atta, and cooked in minimal spices. While Palak paneer recipe follows a completely different recipe.
Ingredients
Few Indian pantry staple ingredients, succulent paneer and luscious spinach is all you need to make this easy and delicious recipe.
Ghee - I like to use ghee in this recipe. It gives a beautiful nutty flavor to the curry. You can substitute with avocado oil too. Onions - Yellow onions work great for the recipe, but you can use red onions too. Aromatics - You must use ginger garlic and green chilies for this recipe. Spinach - Preferably use fresh tender spinach leaves, and discard any hard stems. You can also use frozen spinach to make this recipe. Tomatoes - I use finely chopped tomatoes for this recipe, but you can puree them and use them too. Whole and Ground Spices - I like to use a little bit of Turmeric, Cumin, coriander Powder, and Garam masala for the ground spices. I also use whole cinnamon sticks, green cardamom pods, bay leaf, and kasuri methi. Paneer - You will need 250 grams of paneer cubes to make this recipe. Heavy Cream - Palak paneer is incomplete without cream. Add cream in the end, to make it rich and luscious curry!
Step- By- Step Recipe
Make the Onion and Spinach Puree
Step 1 - In a heavy bottom pot, add ghee, ginger, green chilies and garlic. Let them cook and then add sliced onions. Cook the onions until they are golden brown. Step 2 - Add roughly chopped Spinach to the onions. Now mix it well. Cover and let it cook for a minute. You want the spinach to wilt. Step 3 - Once the spinach is cooked, let this prepared curry base cool down. In a high powered blender, add the cooked onion, spinach and aromatic mix along with half a cup of water. Blend until you get a smooth green luscious puree. Keep the Puree aside.
Make the Palak Paneer
Step 4 - Now in the same pot, add a little more ghee, or oil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and green cardamom pods. Step 5 - Next, add in the tomatoes and spices like, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt, along with some garam masala. Cook the tomatoes, until the ghee separates, and the tomatoes are mushy. Step 6 - Add the prepared onion and spinach puree to the cooked tomatoes. Mix it well. Step 7- Add some fresh cubes of paneer. If you are using store bought paneer, you can soak them in hot water for 5 minutes. You can also roast the paneer in a separate pan with some oil, and add it to the curry.
Final Tempering to Make Lasooni Palak Paneer
Step 8 - Finish the curry with crushed kasuri methi for a beautiful smoky flavor, and add some heavy cream. Step 9 - This is an extra step, but to make it delicious Lasooni Palak Paneer make a delicious tempering. Start with adding some oil/ghee in a small sauce pan. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the thinly sliced garlic, and let lt cook until golden brown. Now turn off the flame, and add dried red chilies, and a little bit of Kashmiri red chili powder. Drizzle it on top of the prepared palak paneer. It gives the recipe an extra mile of oomph.
Serving Suggestions and Storage
Serve the palak paneer with rotis, parathas, naans, or garlic naan. You can also make my dal fry and jeera rice. You can make the curry and store it for 2 days in the refrigerator. If you are making it ahead, add the paneer right before serving.
Expert Tips to Make This Recipe
Two of the most important elements to make palak paneer is its delicious taste, and beautiful vibrant green color. I prefer to use yellow onions to make the curry because the flavor of the yellow onions is sweet, and caramelizes beautifully, and will not render a darker color to the curry, like red onions. Use tender spinach leaves to make this recipe. I usually use the boxed baby spinach. Wash the spinach leaves, and dry them using a salad spinner. Roughly chop them and add them as mentioned in the recipe. If you are using store-bought paneer, I like to soak my paneer cubes in hot water for 5 minutes, and then drain the water out. If you soak them any longer, you might end up with a very chewy paneer. You can also fry the paneer in some oil and add it to the curry. You can smoke a charcoal piece on the stove. Once it is ready, you can place a small bowl in the prepared palak paneer, and add the smoked charcoal piece. Add ghee to the charcoal, and cover the pan. This gives a beautiful smoky flavor to the curry. You can use the same recipe, and substitute paneer with potatoes or corn, to make Aloo Palak or Lasooni Corn Palak.
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