Go Back
Palak paneer
Print Recipe

Palak paneer

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches Spinach, remove large stems
  • 3 Green chilies
  • 250 gm Paneer, cut into small squares
  • 3 Cloves
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 1½ large Onion, finely diced
  • 1½ medium Tomato, finely diced or pureed
  • ¼ tsp Turmeric powder(optional) (See Notes)
  • 1½ tsp Coriander powder
  • ½ tsp Cumin powder
  • A pinch Nutmeg powder
  • ½ tsp Chili powder (optional) (See Notes)
  • ½-1 tsp Grama masala
  • 1 tbsp Kasuri methi
  • A little Coriander leaves, finely diced
  • 2-3 tbsp Cream
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil

Instructions

Prep work
  • Boil some water. And keep another bowl of ice water and slotted spoon ready.
  • Add salt to the boiling water and the cleaned spinach/palak leaves.
  • Let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
  • Immediately transfer the leaves to ice water using the slotted spoon.
  • Once the leaves are cool, drain out the water.
  • Grind the leaves to a very fine paste along with some green chilies. Keep aside.
Making the curry
  • Heat oil in a large skillet, add cloves, and cumin seeds.
  • Add ginger-garlic paste and let the raw smell disappear.
  • Add the onion, and let the onion turn slightly brown. You can add a little salt for faster cooking.
  • Add the tomato and let it turn soft.
  • Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, and nutmeg powder. Turmeric powder and chili powder are optional.
  • Mix well and let it cook till the oil starts to separate. Sprinkle some water to prevent burning, if you think the mixture is getting too dry.It also helps bring the oil out faster.
  • To get a smoother gravy, you can either grind the onion and tomato mixture or skip this step and go to the next step.
    If you grind it, add a little oil to the same pan and pour the ground mixture back in.
  • Add the pureed spinach leaves, ½ cup or so of warm water, salt and let it cook for a few minutes on medium-low flame.
  • Stir the mixture often.
  • Add finely diced coriander leaves, kasuri methi and garam masala and mix well.
  • Add the paneer pieces, lightly mix into the gravy and let it cook for a few more minutes. (If a couple slices of paneer crumbles into the gravy, it tastes even better.)
  • Add the cream, mix well. Check the salt. And switch off.

Notes

  • Omit turmeric and chili powder to make the curry greener in color. 
  • Add more green chilies, if you want to increase the spice level.