Palak Paneer Recipe with video and step by step procedure:
Palak Paneer is a healthy dish which is loved by the entire India, though it is popular in North India. Soft Cottage cheese when added to the delicious spinach gravy makes the dish appetizing. It tastes the best when eaten with Plain Roti, Butter Naan, Kulcha, Jeera Rice or with simple Veg Pulao. When I was a kid, the only way I used to eat Palak was when Palak Paneer was made at home. It is such a healthy way to sneak in the greens and I enjoy eating it a lot as my mom makes it taste like the restaurant style palak paneer.
Palak Paneer Ingredients:
- 3-4 bunches of Spinach
- Paneer 200 gms
- Medium sized onions (3)
- Chilies
- 8 Garlic cloves
- 1.5 inch Ginger
- 10 Cashews
- An inch Cinnamon
- 4 cloves
- 1 tbsp Salt
Preparation of Restaurant Style Palak Paneer:
- Firstly, take 4 bunches of fresh spinach including the stems(Cut the edges of the stem not the entire stem) and clean them with water a couple of times. Avoid the stems which are not tender and soft as they can make the gravy bitter. Now boil it in 250 ml of water for 5 minutes. Do not boil for too long and do not use more than the required amount of water as it rips off the nutrients from the spinach.
- Drain off the water and let the spinach cool for sometime so that it can be put in the mixer.
- Meanwhile grind the chopped onions, chilies, ginger, garlic and cashews.
- Now add the boiled spinach to the mixer and blend it finely.
- Now take a pan and add 2 tbsp of ghee and 2tbsp of oil.
- As we do not add garam masala in this dish, we add cinnamon, cloves, to the oil and give it a stir.
- Immediately, add the grated paneer and saute it for 2 minutes on medium flame. You can also add cubed paneer, whichever is liked by you (of 200 gms).
- Now add the ground palak paste and 250 ml of water to the pan and add a tbsp. of Salt
- Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes or until it gets bubbled up and the gravy thickens.
- Finally add a tbsp. of cream and serve it hot 🙂
Tip:
To preserve the color of the palak, keep the masala spices to minimum. I did not use tomato in this dish as it gives a sour taste. Make sure the paneer is fresh as it enhances the taste of the dish. I used the home made paneer because of which the dish came out really well. Also make sure that the spinach leaves and stems are fresh and tender.
