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Closeup of the palak paneer gravy to show the luxurious, rich curry base
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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.
Course Main Course
Cuisine North Indian
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 Portions
Calories 336kcal
Author Richa

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Ghee divided
  • 6 Garlic Cloves 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 ¼ cup
  • 1 Bayleaf
  • 2 Cardamom Pods
  • 2 Cloves
  • 1 large Tomato finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Jeera Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • In the same pan, heat ghee and saute bayleaf, cardamom and cloves for a minute. 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.
  • Add the pureed spinach 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.
  • 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.
  • Pour this tadka on the palak paneer for an extra garlicky kick! Serve hot.

Video

Notes

  1. Use fresh tender spinach leaves. You can discard the stems or use them for any other dish. Tender stems however, can be used. 
  2. 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.
  3. To make this dish vegan, you can substitute fresh cream with coconut cream. You can also skip the cream if required.  
  4. 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: 77mg | Sodium: 680mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4279IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 325mg | Iron: 2mg