Easy Palak Paneer Recipe
This is the easiest recipe you'll find for Palak Paneer. No blanching spinach, no heavy spices and the result is a luxurious, creamy restaurant style dish that takes only 30 minutes to make.
Servings: 4 Portions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Ghee divided
- 6 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 1/2 inch Ginger finely chopped
- 1-2 Green Chilli chopped
- 1 Onion sliced
- 150 grams chopped Palak (spinach), stems and roots removed - approximately one bunch
- 10 grams fresh Coriander stems and roots removed - approximately 1/4 cup
- 1 Bayleaf
- 2 Cardamom Pods
- 2 Cloves
- 1 large Tomato, approx 1/2 cup finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Jeera Powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi roasted and crushed into a powder
- 2 tablespoon Cream
- 200 grams Paneer cut into cubes
For the Tadka/Tempering
- 1.5 tablespoons Ghee
- 5 Garlic Cloves smashed with skin on
- 2-3 whole dried Red Chillies
- 1 teaspoon Jeera
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute till the onion is just starting to become light brown. Add the palak (spinach) and coriander leaves and saute for a minute. Then turn off the heat and cover and let the leaves wilt for another 2-3 minutes. Set this aside to cool and then blend to a paste.2 tablespoons Ghee, 6 Garlic Cloves, 1-2 Green Chilli, 1 Onion, 150 grams chopped Palak, 10 grams fresh Coriander
- In a bowl, add paneer and cover this with hot water. Let this sit for 10 minutes. This step is optional, but it helps soften the paneer.200 grams Paneer
- In the same pan, heat ghee and saute bayleaf, cardamom and cloves for a minute. Add ginger, sautee for a few seconds, add tomatoes, jeera powder, coriander powder and salt and cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes till soft. Add kasuri methi and garam masala and cook for another minute.1/2 inch Ginger, 1 Bayleaf, 2 Cardamom Pods, 2 Cloves, 1 large Tomato, approx 1/2 cup, ½ teaspoon Jeera Powder, ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder, ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
- Add the pureed spinach, water, and bring this to a gentle boil. Then turn off the heat, add the cream and paneer and let the paneer warm up in the hot gravy. If you haven’t soaked your paneer in hot water earlier, then let the paneer simmer in the gravy for a minute.1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoon Cream
- Finally make the tadka by add ghee and garlic to a small pan. Cook the garlic till its a golden brown. Then add whole red chillies and jeera. Once the jeera starts spluttering, turn off the flame and add chilli powder.1.5 tablespoons Ghee, 5 Garlic Cloves, 2-3 whole dried Red Chillies, 1 teaspoon Jeera, 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- Pour this tadka on the palak paneer for an extra garlicky kick! Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Use fresh tender spinach leaves. You can discard the stems or use them for any other dish. Tender stems however, can be used.
- I only use paneer for this dish. However, it is super versatile. You can add your favourite vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, potato etc., or even proteins like shrimp, chicken or mutton. The cook time will vary accordingly.
- To make this dish vegan, you can substitute fresh cream with coconut cream. You can also skip the cream if required.
- If the spinach tastes bitter, you can add half a teaspoon of sugar and adjust it to your liking.
Nutrition
Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 680mg | Potassium: 423mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4279IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 326mg | Iron: 2mg