Easy Palak Paneer Recipe

Name: About Palak Paneer
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: Spinach; Paneer; Lemon Juice; Spices; Cream

BON Masala June 30, 2022 0 Veg Recipe

About Palak Paneer

One of the most popular vegetarian dishes to order in Indian restaurants is Palak paneer. The creamy sauce, which is made of chopped or pureed spinach cooked in a medley of spices, is the pièce de résistance of the dish.

Type: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: Palak Paneer

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Total Time: 45 min

Recipe Ingredients:

Spinach
Paneer
Lemon Juice
Spices
Cream

One of the most popular vegetarian dishes to order in Indian restaurants is palak paneer. The creamy sauce, which is made of chopped or pureed spinach cooked in a medley of spices, is the pièce de résistance of the dish. Pieces of paneer, or Indian cottage cheese, go well with the sauce. It is a straightforward but utterly delicious dish that will satiate everyone’s palate.

It’s simple to prepare this flavorful dish at home. The cooking time for the palak paneer recipe is about 45 minutes, and the ingredients are generally simple to find. Once you have finished making the recipe, you won’t be able to stop eating it. This dish also freezes well for later use. The spinach sauce is even more delicious the following day!

Is Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer Same ?

Typically, we confuse the two dishes saag paneer and palak paneer. Menus from various Indian restaurants are the source of the confusion. The dish of paneer and spinach is referred to as “palak paneer” in some restaurants. The same dish is referred to as “saag paneer” in other restaurants. We therefore assume that “palak” and “saag” are two different Hindi words for spinach.

The Hindi word for spinach is “palak,” while the word for leafy greens is “saag” (mustard greens, collard greens, fenugreek, spinach, etc.). Saag paneer is a dish of paneer that is typically served with a sauce made from mixed greens. I’m referring to this recipe as palak paneer because it only calls for spinach.

Ingredients Required for Palak Paneer:

Spinach

Palak or spinach leaves are required to make this dish. Make an effort to use young, small leaves. The palak’s quality has a big impact on how this dish tastes. During our time in the US, I used to make this curry using Costco’s frozen spinach, and it turned out perfectly.
Paneer

In any Indian store, you can purchase paneer, or Indian cottage cheese. In fact, paneer is now available in many conventional grocery stores in the US. Replace the paneer in this curry with tofu to make it vegan.
Lemon Juice

The final addition of lemon juice ensures that the body absorbs the iron from the spinach. So be sure to include it.
Spices

Basic spices like cumin seeds, dry red chilies, coriander powder, and garam masala powder are also required..
Others

To make this recipe, you will also need onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic. This dish is made extremely alluring by finishing it with a little cream. Replace the fresh cream in the recipe with greek yogurt, almond cream, or cashew cream to make it vegan. This variant will also be healthier.
Chickpeas or corn can be used in place of paneer.

Step by Step Process:

In a large pot, heat the water. The spinach should be cleaned and thoroughly washed under running water. Cooking soda and spinach are added to the boiling water, and the spinach is blanched for 3–4 minutes. To make the water the vibrant green colour of spinach, you can also add a teaspoon of sugar.
After draining the water, immediately rinse the spinach with cold water.
Blend the spinach and green chilies together to create a smooth paste.
Prior to using the paste, make sure it is smooth.
To prepare the curry, warm the oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and dried red chilies to the hot oil. Give them a brief moment to crackle.
Garlic and onion should be added and fried until onion is translucent.
Cook the tomato for 3–4 minutes after adding it. At this point, you can blend the masala to create a creamier gravy.
Fry for another minute before adding the coriander and garam masala powders.
Add the spinach puree and cook for one minute over high heat.
Bring the curry to a boil after adding the paneer, salt, and 1/2 cup water.
After turning off the heat, stir in the fresh cream and lemon juice.
Smoking the Curry – You can add a Dhungar to the curry to give it a restaurant-like smoky flavour. Heat a coal piece for the Dhungar until it is red hot.
Keep a bowl inside the curry bowl, and place the coal on top of the bowl.
Close the main bowl’s lid right away after adding a teaspoon of ghee to the coal.
Open the lid, take out the small bowl and the piece of coal, and then gently stir the curry. Add Fresh Cream as a garnish to the palak paneer. With Naan or Phulke, serve hot.