Palak Paneer – Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese Curry

06 Jan Palak Paneer – Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese Curry

Last Updated on June 18, 2021 by blessmyfoodbypayal

Palak Paneer – Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese Curry with step wise pictorial and video method.

WHAT IS PALAK PANEER?

Hailing from Indian sub continent, Palak Paneer is a vegetarian gluten free dish made with Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese.

Palak is hindi word for spinach and paneer means indian Cottage Cheese.

Indian Cottage Cheese is made by curdling milk with some sour agent like lemon, vinegar or Citric acid. It is non aged and non melting cheese which is soft in texture.

Cheese cooked in the spinach puree with few spices makes this finger licking recipe.

HOW TO WASH SPINACH?

This head is added because we thought this is the must one.

Spinach contains too much of dirt and debris so they need to be washed really well, otherwise you are gonna ingest all the grime.

Note that don’t cut spinach before washing. Also don’t wash it by tilting and draining water, leaving spinach behind the pot.

To wash spinach, take cold (room temperature) water in a large pot and put spinach in it.

Let spinach sit in water for a minute and then shift to colander. Discard water, take more clean water and repeat the same process.

If you still find the grit on the leaves, wash it one more time.

RIGHT STATE OF PANEER/COTTAGE CHEESE TO BE ADDED IN PALAK PUREE

Every family has its own way of making palak paneer so as ways to add paneer.

The first way is to add paneer cubes after deep frying them till they turn deep brown.

Second way is to fry paneer cubes but don’t let paneer turn brown. Paneer appears to be pure white but has that taste of fried paneer.

And last but most common way is to add raw paneer cubes like we have done in this recipe.

There’s no strict rule as to what should be done and it totally depends on one’s choice.

But do note that frying keeps the shape of paneer intact and it will not crumble in puree.

VEGAN VERSION OF PALAK PANEER

This recipe can easily be transformed into vegan by replacing few ingredients.

First is ghee. Either add vegan butter or avoid it at all. You can make this recipe with oil only.

The best substitute of paneer is tofu. Add it fried or raw, as you like the taste.

And the last one is cream. You can easilt skip it.

WHY DOES PALAK PANEER TASTE BITTER?

Spinach is slightly bitter by nature, especially if it’s blended up. To avoid or reduce the bitterness from palak paneer, you must add some acid like lemon juice and/or sweetness like bit of sugar will balance the dish.

However adding cream will be of great help to went away the bitterness.

TIPS TO KEEP PALAK GREEN IN PALAK PANEER

1. Don’t boil palak but only blanch for 40 second in hot boiling water.
2. Immediately transfer palak from hot water to ice cold water and rest there for 2 minutes at least.
3. Add salt or sour agent in the last.
4. Don’t cook palak by covering the pan. This tip is not just about palak but for all the green leafy veggies.
5. Don’t add turmeric powder.
6. Prefer to add green chillies instead of red chilli powder.
7. If adding tomato, add in less quantity.
8. Never cook in iron pan/kadai.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Palak Paneer goes well with roti/chapati/fulka.

In restuarants and dabas, it is usually served with naan or paratha.

If you are intending to serve it with rice, you need to keep the puree little thin by adding water as required.

HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP PALAK PANEER?

Palak Paneer stays good in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. However to keep it surviving for months, palak paneer can be freezed as well.

ALSO SEE few more recipes using palak/spinach

• palak pulao
• Lehsuni palak
• methi chaman recipe

Recipes using paneer/cottage cheese to be served as main course

• Daab paneer recipe
• Kashmiri yellow paneer recipe
• Kashmiri Lal Paneer recipe
• Paneer changezi recipe
• Nawabi kesariya paneer
• Shahi paneer rolls sabzi
• Achari paneer recipe
• khoya paneer
• Mughlai Shahi Paneer Korma

STEPWISE PICTORIAL RECIPE OF PALAK PANEER

BLANCHING OF PALAK

1. Wash spinach/palak very well.
2. Boil water in a pan and add palak into it. The quantity of water must be sufficient enough to retain palak.
3. Let palak remain in boiling water for 35 to 40 seconds.
4. Immediately take palak out of boiling water and transfer to another bowl carrying chilled water and ice cubes
5. Let palak remain in chilled water for 2 minutes.

MAKING OF PALAK PUREE

1. Take palak out of chilled water, squeeze and add to the grinder
2. Add green chillies with palak and grind to a fine puree. Keep aside.

MAKING OF PALAK PANEER

1. Take a pan and add oil along with desi ghee in it.
2. Add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Let cumin splitter.
3. Now put onion and saute till onion turns brown.
4. Add tomato and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until oil begins to separate from tomatoes.
5. Add dry fenugreek leaves and saute.
6. Take up the grinder jar and transfer palak puree into the pan.
7. Add black pepper powder, garam masala, coriander powder, nutmeg powder and a drop of kewra water. Mix well.
8. Cook palak for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat. Remember, not to cover the pan at any stage. You can add a little water if consistency of palak is not as per your requirement.
9. At last add salt, lemon juice and paneer cubes. Gently mix without breaking paneer and let it cook for 2 minutes.
10. Palak Paneer is ready.

Serve hot after drizzling malai or cream.

Palak Paneer – Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese Curry – recipe card

Palak Paneer - Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese Curry

blessmyfoodbypayal

Palak Paneer - Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese Curry is a glutenfree dish made with minimal ingredients to be served as regular meal.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Curry, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

FOR BLANCHING PALAK

• 500 gram/17oz Spinach/palak
• Water as required
• Cold water with ice cubes as required

FOR PALAK PUREE

• Blanched palak
• 3 green chillies

FOR MAKING PALAK PANEER

• Palak puree recently made
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 2 tbsp desi ghee or butter
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 onion cut thinly
• 1 medium tomato grated
• 1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 drop of khewra water optional
• 250 gram/9oz paneer cut into cubes
• Juice of half lemon
• 2 tbsp malai or cream

Instructions

 

BLANCHING OF PALAK

• Wash spinach/palak very well.
• Boil water in a pan and add palak into it. The quantity of water must be sufficient enough to retain palak.
• Let palak remain in boiling water for 35 to 40 seconds.
• Immediately take palak out of boiling water and transfer to another bowl carrying chilled water and ice cubes.
• Let palak remain in chilled water for 2 minutes.

MAKING OF PALAK PUREE

• Take palak out of chilled water, squeeze and add to the grinder.
• Add green chillies with palak and grind to a fine puree. Keep aside.

MAKING OF PALAK PANEER

• Take a pan and add oil along with desi ghee in it.
• Add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Let cumin splitter.
• Now put onion and saute till onion turns brown.
• Add tomato and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until oil begins to separate from tomatoes.
• Add dry fenugreek leaves and saute.
• Take up the grinder jar and transfer palak puree into the pan.
• Add black pepper powder, garam masala, coriander powder, nutmeg powder and a drop of kewra water. Mix well.
• Cook palak for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat. Remember, not to cover the pan at any stage. You can add a little water if consistency of palak is not as per your requirement.
• At last add salt, lemon juice and paneer cubes. Gently mix without breaking paneer and let it cook for 2 minutes.
• Palak Paneer is ready. Serve hot after drizzling malai or cream.

Keyword palak paneer, paneer palak