Recipe- Restaurant Style Palak Paneer

Palak paneer is a famous Punjabi dish in which paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is cooked in spinach and spices masala base. This dish is our family favourite too. Soft cottage cheese cubes cooked in silky, mildly spicy spinach gravy is a definite winner. It pairs very well with both rice dishes and roti/naan. It is also known as saag paneer.

Ingredients

2 bunch spinach
250 grams paneer cubed
1 large onion finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
½ inch ginger grated
5-6 cloves garlic grated or finely chopped
1-2 green chilli finely chopped (or as per taste)
2 tablespoon ghee
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 black cardamom
2-3 cloves
1 tablespoon kasuri methi
1 teaspoon amchur
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
Salt to taste

Method

- Wash the spinach thoroughly. Boil water in a stockpot.

- Add 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and add the spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes

- Strain the spinach and refresh with cold water to stop cooking any further

- Blend the spinach in a blender. Set aside

- Heat a frypan, add 1 teaspoon ghee. Fry the paneer cubes lightly till golden on the sides. If you are not using them immediately, keep immersed in hot water to keep them soft

- In the same pan, add the remaining ghee. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter

- Add black cardamom, cloves, and bay leaves. Fry for a few seconds

- Add onions and fry until they are lightly golden

- Add ginger, garlic, green chilli, and fry for a further 1-2 minutes

- Add kasuri methi, amchur, red chilli powder, and salt. Mix well

- Add tomato and cook for a few minutes until they are soft

- Add garam masala and cook until the spices and tomatoes are done

- Add the spinach puree and mix well. Add ½ cup hot water to adjust consistency if needed. Bring to a boil

- Simmer for 7-8 minutes or until the spinach is completely cooked

- Add paneer cubes and mix gently. Simmer for 3-4 minutes

- Serve with hot naan, multi-layer paratha or jeera rice.