Palak Paneer
A vegetarian dish of fresh, unripened cheese cooked in a thick, creamy spinach purée, paneer palak originated in the northern Indian state of Punjab. Named for its two primary ingredients — spinach and paneer cheese — palak paneer is reminiscent of saag paneer (which typically uses a mixture of greens, including spinach, fenugreek leaves and mustard greens) but instead uses blended spinach as its sole source of greens. A fresh, firm, mild cheese used throughout India, paneer is prized for its texture and its ability to absorb the flavors of its surrounding ingredients, as it holds its shape without melting when heated. If you’re unable to find paneer, you can try firm tofu instead. Here, the paneer is heated in the sauce, however, you could sear the cubes in a pan before adding them to the dish. Serve palak paneer with naan or steamed basmati rice.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 2garlic cloves, peeled
- 2green chiles or 1 serrano chile, stemmed
- 1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2medium plum tomatoes
- Ice, as needed
- 6packed cups/8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2tablespoons ghee
- ½teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1small Indian bay leaf
- 1small yellow onion, diced
- ½teaspoon garam masala
- ½teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
- 1teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 8ounces paneer, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1tablespoon heavy cream, plus more for serving
- Salt
- Naan and cooked basmati rice, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
Place the garlic, chiles and ginger in a food processor with 3 tablespoons of water. Purée until a paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set paste aside until ready to use.Step 2
Coarsely grate the tomatoes on a box grater set directly on your cutting board. Discard the skins and set the grated tomatoes aside until ready to use.Step 3
Fill a medium bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, then transfer the spinach to the bowl of ice water until cold, about 5 minutes. Drain, discarding the water and ice cubes.Step 4
Transfer the spinach to a food processor or blender along with 1/2 cup of water and purée until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.Step 5
Heat the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to pop, about 30 seconds, then add the bay leaf and onion and cook until the onion is soft and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the reserved garlic-ginger paste and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes, then stir in the garam masala and chile powder. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.Step 6
Stir in the reserved spinach purée, the fenugreek leaves and 1 cup water. Decrease the heat so the mixture is at slow simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.Step 7
Add the paneer and 1 tablespoon cream and stir until the paneer has warmed through, about 3 minutes. (Take care not to heat the paneer too long in the sauce or it will become chewy.) Season with salt and remove the bay leaf. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with more cream. Serve with naan and rice.