Palak Paneer (Paneer in Spiced Spinach Gravy)
پالک پنیر (مصالحے دار پالک میں پنیر)
Palak paneer is one of the best-known North Indian vegetarian dishes: a smooth, garlicky spinach purée with soft cubes of . The trick to a bright green gravy, rather than a dull khaki one, is to blanch the spinach briefly and cool it straight away before blending. Pakistani readers will know palak gosht and aloo palak; this is the paneer version, finished smoother and creamier.
- ⏱ Total: 40 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the spinach and green chillies and blanch for 2 minutes until just wilted. Drain and plunge straight into ice-cold water.
Squeeze out the water and blend the spinach and chillies to a smooth purée with a few tablespoons of cold water.
Heat the oil in a karahi, add the cumin and let it sizzle. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until golden, then the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then the tomato until soft.
Stir in the coriander powder, chilli powder and salt for 30 seconds. Add the spinach purée and a little water and simmer for 4–5 minutes only, so it stays green.
Add the paneer, garam masala and crushed kasuri methi and heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in the cream and serve hot.
Kitchen notes
Don't over-boil the spinach or simmer the purée for long; heat turns it dull and brownish.
A handful of fenugreek or mustard leaves blended with the spinach adds depth.
For a garlicky finish, pour a of ghee, sliced garlic and dried chilli over the top.
North India’s green classic
Palak paneer comes from Punjab and the north, where winter brings piles of fresh greens to every market. It’s now one of the best-known Indian vegetarian dishes worldwide, and a great way to get children (and adults) to eat spinach.
Keeping it green
Spinach turns from bright green to olive when it’s cooked too long. The method here protects the colour: a quick blanch, an ice bath to stop the cooking, and a short simmer once the purée goes into the masala. Adding lemon or tomato early also dulls the colour, so the tomato is cooked down first.
Paneer, or not
Paneer soaks up the garlicky gravy beautifully, but the same base works with potatoes, boiled eggs, chickpeas or tofu. Pakistani households more often cook spinach with meat, as in palak gosht.
Serving
Serve with naan, roti or makki ki roti and a dollop of butter, or with jeera rice. Try it alongside dal makhani for a classic North Indian vegetarian meal.
Questions people ask
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes. Thaw it, squeeze out the water and blend. Skip the blanching step.
Is palak paneer the same as saag paneer?
Close. Saag usually means a mix of greens, often mustard leaves; palak means spinach only. Restaurants abroad often use the names interchangeably.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 320
- Protein
- 16 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
