Palak Paneer/ cottage cheese in spinach sauce

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Palak Paneer is a popular North Indian dish. As the name suggests, palak paneer is a dish in which paneer or Indian cottage cheese is cooked in creamy spinach sauce. You can prepare paneer at home. Home-made paneer is much more softer than store bought paneer. However, if you want to use store bought paneer soak the paneer in hot water for 20 minutes to make it softer.

Course: Main course

Cuisine: Punjabi(Indian)

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Servings: 4-5

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of packed spinach
  • 2 onions chopped
  • ½ inch ginger cut to pieces
  • 7-8 cloves of garlic
  • 2 green chilies
  • ½ teaspoon whole cumin
  • 1 small tomato
  • 1 ½ teaspoonful cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoonful turmeric powder
  • 1½ teaspoonful coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • ¼ cup of cream
  • 2 tablespoons of oil for cooking

Directions

  1. Blanch the spinach in hot water and then put immediately in ice-cold water. You can also use unblanched spinach if you like. Keep the spinach aside.
  2. Take a pan. Add oil to it. Once the oil is hot add whole cumin. As the cumin starts spluttering, add the chopped onions, ginger, tomato and green chilies.
  3. Also add the cumin powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder and salt and add a splash of water.
  4. Saute all the ingredients in the pan for about 5 minutes. Turn off the gas and let it cool.
  5. Transfer the blanched spinach and the ingredients of the pan to a mixer.
  6. Blend the mixture to a smooth paste.
  7. Add oil to the same pain and heat it. To the hot oil add the spinach mixture.
  8. You can add little water to transfer all the spinach from blender jar to the pan.
  9. Now add the paneer and garam masala to the pan and simmer the mixture till you achieve the desired consistency. Avoid overcooking.
  10. Now add the cream to the pan and turn off the flame.
  11. Serve hot with naan, roti or rice.

Notes

  1. Do not add the stems of the palak. Adding the stems make the gravy bitter.
  2. You can also use store bought paneer.
  3. You can also fry the paneers if you like.
  4. Do not try to run your while the mixture is still hot. It will splash everything outside

Blanch the spinach in hot water and then put immediately in ice-cold water. You can also use unblanched spinach if you like. Keep the spinach aside.

Take a pan. Add oil to it. Once the oil is hot add whole cumin. As the cumin starts spluttering, add the chopped onions, ginger, tomato and green chilies.

Also add the cumin powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder and salt and add a splash of water. Saute all the ingredients in the pan for about 5 minutes. Turn off the gas and let it cool. Transfer the blanched spinach and the ingredients of the pan to a mixer. Blend the mixture to a smooth paste. Add oil to the same pain and heat it. To the hot oil add the spinach mixture. You can add little water to transfer all the spinach from blender jar to the pan. Now add the paneer and garam masala to the pan and simmer the mixture till you achieve the desired consistency.

Now add the cream to the pan and turn off the flame.