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

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Ingredients Instructions FAQs

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

Is it OK to eat palak and paneer together? ›

The nutrients iron, folic acid, vitamins A, E, and K, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, which help to prevent diseases like skin cancer, are abundant in spinach, a green leafy vegetable. When consumed together, the calcium in the paneer restricts the iron absorption from spinach.

What can be made from leftover Palak Paneer? ›

Here I have used leftover palak paneer gravy to make this pulav. Whole spices and vegetables give it a flavour as well as a texture while protein packed paneer adds to its taste. The same recipe can be followed even for leftover rice.

When should paneer be avoided? ›

Paneer should be avoided during fever as during this condition the digestive fire gets disturbed resulting in poor digestion. Paneer being heavy and rich in protein and fat becomes difficult to digest. This results in poor digestion which might further worsen the condition.

Is palak paneer good for high blood pressure? ›

Spinach. This green leafy super food is rich in folate, contains potassium and magnesium, and is full of antioxidants, all of which contribute towards maintaining blood pressure levels. Spinach can easily be enjoyed in salads or sandwiches or in the form of the much loved dishes like palak paneer.

How do you cook spinach without losing nutrients? ›

Steam it: Steaming spinach is a gentle cooking method that helps retain most of its nutrients, including vitamin C. Simply place the spinach in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and cook until it wilts, which should take only a few minutes.

Why does spinach turn black when cooked? ›

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

Do I need to blanch spinach before cooking? ›

While heat will not destroy oxalic acid, blanching spinach in a lot of water first will reduce the concentration. That's why I always blanch spinach first before using it in any dish. Another benefit to blanching is that it allows you to squeeze out excess water from the spinach preventing your dish from getting soggy.

Is homemade Palak Paneer healthy? ›

He added, “Palak Paneer as a dish is rich in protein, B vitamins, folates, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, magnesium, phosphorous, and dietary fiber – that it can be a great addition to your wholesome diet. In fact, it's a delicious way of adding some greens and high quality protein to your daily food.

What is best to eat with Palak Paneer? ›

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

What is the difference between 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 make paneer taste better? ›

Add enough tomatoes for a good taste and thick and creamy texture. Towards the end you can add a light splash of milk cream or milk to tone down the spices and addcreamy texture. Add garam masala and kasuri methi in the End for more favour. What is a matar paneer recipe?

Why does my paneer taste bitter? ›

There can be many factors responsible for paneer to taste 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.

Why does my spinach taste sour? ›

Spinach is full of oxalic acid, a compound that's also found in leafy greens like Swiss chard, amaranth, beet greens, and sorrel. In his book The Flavor Equation, Nik Sharma notes that oxalic acid is also what makes these vegetables taste more acidic when raw.

Can we eat spinach and cheese together? ›

Eating healthy involves more than just choosing the appropriate foods. According to Nmami, eating spinach and cottage cheese together prevents each food's appropriate nutrient absorption. She demonstrated why combining paneer and spinach is unhealthy.

What do you eat palak paneer with? ›

A bowl of warm Palak Paneer over rice or served with warm buttery naan or roti is Indian comfort at its best. I prefer the paneer straight up but if you like it fried, pan-fry them in a little oil and toss them in the sauce.

What is best to eat with palak paneer? ›

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

Can we take palak and milk together? ›

Yes, you can blend spinach or arugula with milk if you want to make a smoothie or a green juice. There should not be any negative effects from blending these greens with milk. In fact, blending spinach or arugula with milk can be a great way to make a nutrient-dense smoothie.

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