Palak Paneer
Spinach and paneer in a smooth, deeply green gravy. A Punjabi staple where the spinach is blanched briefly to hold its colour and pureed for a silky finish.
Overview
Spinach is blanched for one minute then plunged into iced water (a step that locks the colour bright green). The drained spinach is blended with green chilli into a smooth puree. A masala of onion, ginger, garlic and tomato is built and the puree stirred in. Cubes of paneer, lightly pan-fried, are added at the end so they sit on top of the gravy rather than dissolving into it. Finished with cream and kasuri methi.
Ingredients
Spinach puree
- 500 g fresh spinach (or 350 g frozen, thawed and squeezed)
- 1-2 green chillies (chopped)
- A small handful of fresh coriander (stems included)
Paneer
- 300 g paneer cheese (cut into 2 cm cubes)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
Masala
- 2 tablespoons ghee (or oil)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion (large, finely chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 30 g fresh ginger (finely grated)
- 2 ripe tomatoes (chopped, or 1 tablespoon tomato paste plus 100 ml water)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
To finish
- 80 ml double cream
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed between palms)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- A knob of butter
To serve
- A drizzle of cream
- Naan, roti (or basmati rice)
Method
Stage 1 - Blanch the spinach
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of iced water.
- Drop the spinach into the boiling water for 1 minute (the leaves will collapse).
- Lift out with tongs and plunge into the iced water; leave for 1 minute.
- Drain and squeeze hard to remove excess water.
Stage 2 - Blend the puree
- Place the drained spinach in a blender with the green chilli and coriander.
- Blend to a smooth bright-green puree (a little water if needed to keep the blade turning).
Stage 3 - Fry the paneer
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Toss the paneer cubes with the ¼ teaspoon of turmeric.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes a side until golden on the edges; lift out and set aside.
- If the paneer feels firm, soak the fried cubes in warm salted water for 5 minutes to keep them tender (a chef's trick).
Stage 4 - Build the masala
- In a wide pan, heat the ghee over medium heat.
- Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 15 seconds.
- Add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt; cook for 8-10 minutes until golden.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped tomato, ground coriander, Kashmiri chilli, turmeric and salt.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes until the tomato breaks down and the oil separates at the edges.
Stage 5 - Combine
- Lower the heat (high heat kills the green colour).
- Pour the spinach puree into the masala.
- Stir to combine; add 100 ml hot water to loosen if very thick.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes (no longer, or the spinach turns olive).
- Stir in the drained paneer, the cream, the kasuri methi and the garam masala.
- Simmer gently for 3 minutes.
- Taste and adjust salt; finish with a knob of butter.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Ladle into a serving bowl, drizzle with cream and serve with naan, roti or rice.
Notes
- Blanch and ice for the colour: Cooked spinach turns olive within 10 minutes of heat. The blanch-and-ice step is what keeps palak paneer bright green; skipping it gives a grey-green dish.
- Don't cook the puree long: Stir the puree in over low heat for just enough time to warm through. Long simmering darkens it.
- Paneer water trick: Soaking fried paneer in warm salted water rehydrates it back to soft. Restaurants do this; home cooks rarely know.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days; the colour dulls but the flavour holds.
- Freezing turns the paneer rubbery; not recommended.
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