Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (2024)

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (1)Pin

Learn how to make Palak Paneer: this my recipe that’s perfected over the years by adding and subtracting ingredients to suit our palates. Thisversion of Palak Paneer contains no cream.

Today, TH turns 31. I met him when he was 24. Both of us were younger, slimmer, naive, and he really wasn’t TH back then, just this goofy funny guy who made me laugh all the time and ridiculed my Tamil. Most of that has changed now except one thing. TH’s love for Palak Paneer. When he first told me how much he loves Garlic Nan with Palak Paneer, I was surprised because where I come from, most guys don’t really like spinach. TH is neutral towards other spinach dishes but Palak Paneer, he adores. He has tried Palak Paneer in pretty much every city we have traveled to and is still on the quest to find the best Palak Paneer in Singapore.

Since we eat palak paneer so often when we go out for meals, I rarely make itat home. This one time I did make it, I used red amaranth leaves and way too much spices.Since then I’ve realised that Palak needs spices to make it less blandbut the spices need to edge it on, not overpower it and become bossy. If you are serving this with nan, the flavours need to be just right so that it complements the nan perfectly.

Anyway, on TH’s birthday this year, I wanted to share his most favourite dish and the recipe I have perfected over 4-5 trials. As mentioned, when I make Palak Paneer, I like to keep the recipe simple and don’t add unnecessary thickening agents or cream.

Browse all paneer recipes here.

Serve Palak Paneer as a Side Dish with:
Tawa Naan
Jeera Rice
Methi Paratha
Simple Vegetable Pulav
Triangular Chapatis
Vegetable Biryani

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (2)Pin

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Palak Paneer Recipe Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves 4

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Paneer

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of cubed paneer how to make paneer
  • 4-5 cups of palak or green spinach, packed
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 tsp of minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp of minced ginger
  • 1 tsp of red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp of coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp of jeera cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
  • 1 large pinch of kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 tsp of garam masala
  • 2 tsp of ghee or oil
  • 1 pinch of hing or asafoetida
  • 1 heaping tsp of tomato paste or 1 pureed tomato - optional
  • 1 cup of milk or water
  • 1 tbsp of plain curd or yogurt - optional

Instructions

  • How to Make Palak Paneer:

  • The first step is to blanch the spinach. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and dunk the washed spinach leaves in it. Let it simmer for about 2 mins and then remove. Puree to a smooth paste.

  • Drain the water and in the same bowl, heat the ghee or oil. Add the cumin powder and within 5 seconds, add the chopped onions. Saute until golden brown and add the spice powders like coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, and hing. Fry for a few seconds, taking care not to burn them spices.

  • Next, add the minced ginger and garlic and the tomato paste if using. Mix well and add the pureed spinach.

  • Top this off with the milk. Mix well, bring to boil and add the kasuri methi and salt.

  • Cook covered for about 6-8 mins until the spinach is completely cooked and spices have blended well into the gravy. Gently add the paneer pieces to the gravy.

  • Top off with a tbsp of curd (plain yogurt) if you want the gravy to be thicker. Sprinkle garam masala. Mix well and remove from the stove.

  • Serve hot with nan, roti, or pulao

Step by Step Palak Paneer Recipe:

1. The first step is to blanch the spinach. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and dunk the washed spinach leaves in it. Let it simmer for about 2 mins and then remove. Puree to a smooth paste.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (3)Pin

2. Drain the water and in the same bowl, heat the ghee or oil. Add the cumin powder and within 5 seconds, add the chopped onions. Saute until golden brown and add the spice powders like coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, and hing. Fry for a few seconds, taking care not to burn them spices.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (4)Pin

3. Next, add the minced ginger and garlic and the tomato paste if using. Mix well and add the pureed spinach.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (5)Pin

4. Top this off with the milk. Mix well, bring to boil and add the kasuri methi and salt.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (6)Pin

5. Cook covered for about 6-8 mins until the spinach is completely cooked and spices have blended well into the gravy. Gently add the paneer pieces to the gravy.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (7)Pin

6. Top off with a tbsp of curd (plain yogurt) if you want the gravy to be thicker. Sprinkle garam masala. Mix well and remove from the stove.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (8)Pin

Done! Delicious piping hot Palak Paneer is now ready.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (9)Pin
Palak Paneer with Easy Vegetable Pulao(click for recipe)

Notes:

– You can fry the paneer pieces in some oil, dunk it into hot water for a few seconds, squeeze and set aside to be added to the gravy later. This makes the paneer softer. Since I used fresh homemade Paneer, I avoided this step.

– Adjust the quantity of spices to your liking. For me, these quantities work out perfectly.

– You can add a couple of green chillies to the spinach while grinding instead of using red chilli powder. I generally do this but didn’t have any fresh green chillies in hand that day.

For palak paneer recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Kannada etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.

Palak Paneer Recipe, how to make Palak Paneer - Edible Garden (2024)

FAQs

How can I thicken my palak? ›

Tomato puree/ paste

Adding tomato puree is probably the most common method of thickening curry sauces. Simply add the tomato puree during the cooking process rather than adding it at the end. This will help to thicken your curry or pasta sauce from the beginning, speeding up the cooking time.

How to eat Palak Paneer? ›

Serve palak paneer with Basmati Rice, butter naan, jeera rice, ghee rice, roti or plain paratha.

How do you keep green leafy vegetables green after cooking? ›

Using vinegar or lime juice while boiling vegetables keeps them green. Just add a few drops to boiling water before adding the veggies. Boiling the greens with baking soda reduces the acidity of the water and slows down the discolouration process of the vegetables.

How do you keep spinach from drying out? ›

Adding a paper towel to the container helps absorb extra moisture, which prolongs the life of the spinach.

What makes spinach taste better? ›

Olive oil: I love sauteing the spinach in olive oil. It has the best flavor! Garlic: Before tossing in my fresh spinach, I cook fresh sliced garlic in the olive oil, which gives the olive oil a lovely garlicky flavor. Lemon: It is optional but adds fresh flavor!

What cancels out the taste of spinach? ›

Citrus juice can efficiently cover the bitterness of the spinach and give a fresh flavour to it. You can use either lemon, lime or even orange juice for the purpose. As soon as the leaves get cooked, take them out in a bowl. Drizzle some citrus juice over them, give a light stir and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Why does paneer turn bitter? ›

If the milk used to make paneer is already spoiled it will result into bitterness. If paneer is kept outside the fridge for long it will get infected with fungus which will give it a yellowish tinch and make it bitter.

What to do if Palak Paneer is too watery? ›

PALAK PANEER IS TOO WATERY? If the curry of Palak Paneer is too watery, then you can use roasted gram flour. First, roast the gram flour in a separate pan until you can smell its aroma by stirring continuously. Then add it to the curry to make it thick.

What is the difference between saag paneer and Palak Paneer? ›

The main distinction between these two is the sort of vegetable used to prepare them. For instance, Saag, or podium, is used to make saag paneer, a mixture of green leaves, including spinach, mustard, fenugreek, radish greens, and Chenopodium. Palak paneer, on the other hand, contains spinach leaves.

How to fix watery paneer? ›

Gravy can be thicken by adding fresh cream/fresh malai to the gravy of paneer or any other vegetable gravy. If you want to thicken the paneer gravy and make the paneer in shahi style, then add cashew paste and fresh cream to it. Paneer will be thick and creamy.

What should not be eaten with palak? ›

She explains how spinach and paneer are not a healthy combination. She elaborates, “There are certain combinations that inhibit the nutrient absorption of each other when eaten together. One such combination is iron and calcium. Spinach is rich in iron and paneer is rich in calcium.

What pairs well with Palak Paneer? ›

Rice Varieties: Pair your Palak Paneer with a fragrant serving of plain rice, veg biryani or spiced rice for a hearty and satisfying meal. The aromatic spices infused into each grain of rice perfectly complement the creamy texture of the paneer, creating a harmonious symphony of flavours on your plate.

What does palak mean in English? ›

/pālaka/ mn. spinach uncountable noun. Spinach is a vegetable with large green leaves.

Why does spinach turn brown when cooked? ›

As the veggies hit the boiling water, volatile acids are released into the water and are carried away in the steam. When the pot is covered, the steam and the acids it contains are forced back into the water. Once there, the acids react with the chlorophyll in the vegetables, turning them an unsightly shade of brown.

Why does spinach go black when cooked? ›

Spinach contains oxalic acid which reacts with cast iron and carbon steel pans turning the spinach black.

How to keep spinach soup green? ›

The secret of a fresh-flavoured, bright green soup is to cook half the spinach briefly in the soup for depth of flavour, then add the remaining raw spinach when liquidising.

How do you keep spinach from getting slimy? ›

The key is to keep your spinach as dry as possible because excess moisture is what causes spinach—and all greens for that matter—to get slimy. The first thing you should do when you get a bag or bunch of spinach is to pick out any leaves that may have already started to turn.

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