There are certain dishes that take hardly any time to cook but taste delicious and appear very royal and classy. Palak Paneer is one of those dishes that is easy to prepare and requires basic ingredients, all while being healthy and nutritious. This recipe is a very quick version of palak paneer, making it just a one pot meal. For this recipe, I skipped blanching the spinach just to preserve it’s nutritional values. I didn’t add any cream or cashew paste to it to keep it low in calories but you can add it if that’s what you prefer. This dish is ideal for those who are looking for a highly satisfying yet low-calorie healthy meal.
A very popular North Indian dish that is enjoyed by most of the people across the globe for it’s authentic taste and health factors, Palak Paneer, made in spinach and paneer (cottage cheese) is fully loaded with proteins, calcium & iron. This creamy and rich curry tastes delicious with jeera rice, fried rice, paratha, phulka or naan.
The only trick to make this dish appear a nice, natural looking green is to cook it with the lid open (as cooking with the lid causes some sort of a chemical reaction that darkens the color) and also, don’t overcook the spinach.
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Palak Paneer Recipe:
Rinse the spinach leaves well and proceed to chop them. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and green chilis. Let the garlic fry till its raw flavor vanishes and then add the onions. Cook the onions till they turn translucent and add the spinach leaves. Add some salt to taste and sauté the chopped spinach for a few minutes. Do not cover it with a lid while cooking, in order to preserve the natural green color of the spinach. Some restaurants do add tomatoes in this dish, but I don’t. Turn the heat off and add the spinach mix to the blender jar and grind it into a smooth paste. Do not add any water as the spinach and onion mixture has sufficient moisture required for grinding. Set the spinach purée aside.
Heat oil or butter in a saucepan or kadai and add some cumin seeds to it. Whenever we make some masala curries or gravies, it’s recommended to add some cumin seeds in the seasoning to help it digest better. That’s the reason our ancestors used to add cumin in most of the Indian curries or lentils in which the fat content is high. After the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the spinach purée to it. Maintaining the heat in low, add all the spices you want to add in your curry. I added turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and a little bit of dry mango (amchur) powder to increase the tang of the curry. I didn’t add red chili powder as I had already added enough green chilis in my spinach mix before grinding. But if you want to make it extra spicy you can add more chili powder along with the other spices. Remember to keep the lid open while cooking, and I know I keep saying it, but it’s important if you want your curry to be a gorgeous, rich one!
Add the paneer cubes (Indian cottage cheese) into the spinach gravy and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add some water as needed, if your curry is too thick. Adjust the salt and spices if required. Lastly, you can also add some fresh cream to make the gravy taste more authentic and rich. Gently stir in to incorporate the flavor evenly into the gravy. Turn the heat off and transfer the curry into a serving dish or bowl. Drizzle some lemon juice on top and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves. Serve the palak paneer with warm roti, naan or any rice item and enjoy!
The same recipe can also be used for Aloo palak (Potato-spinach curry), by replacing paneer with some boiled potatoes. Vegans can use tofu instead of paneer and enjoy this dish.
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| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15-20 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 cup paneer cubes or Indian cottage cheese
- 2 cups palak or spinach washed & chopped
- 4-5 pcs of cut green chilis
- 4-5 pcs cloves of garlic
- A small piece of ginger chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped onions
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp amchur or dry mango powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional)
- 1/4 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
- Oil or butter as needed
- salt to taste
- 2-4 tbsp fresh cream (optional)
Ingredients
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- Rinse the spinach leaves well and proceed to chop them.
- Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and green chilis. Let the garlic fry till its raw flavor vanishes and then add the onions.
- Cook the onions till they turn translucent and add the spinach leaves.
- Add some salt to taste and sauté the chopped spinach for a few minutes.
- Do not cover it with a lid while cooking, in order to preserve the natural green color of the spinach.
- Turn the heat off and add the spinach mix to the blender jar and grind it into a smooth paste.
- Do not add any water as the spinach and onion mixture has sufficient moisture required for grinding. Set the spinach purée aside.
- Heat oil or butter in a saucepan or kadai and add some cumin seeds to it.
- After the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the spinach purée.
- Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and dry mango (amchur) powder.
- If you want to make it extra spicy you can also add some chili powder along with the other spices.
- Add the paneer cubes (Indian cottage cheese) into the spinach gravy and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add some water as needed, if your curry is too thick. Adjust the salt and spices if required.
- Lastly, you can also add some fresh cream to make the gravy taste more authentic and rich.
- Turn the heat off and transfer the curry into a serving dish or bowl.
- Drizzle some lemon juice on top and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve the palak paneer with warm roti, naan or any rice item and enjoy!
