Make restaurant-style Palak Paneer simply at residence with a couple of secret ideas and tips. It’s faster and simpler than you’d suppose however has the identical richness and taste just like the one out of your favourite restaurant!
Palak paneer is a home favorite and I’ve been enhancing my recipe for years. I’m speaking a few creamy, mildly flavoured herby inexperienced gravy that doesn’t have any bitterness from spinach or is heavy on spices. This is a straightforward recipe which signifies that there aren’t any sophisticated steps, no lengthy checklist of masalas, no main prep work. And the flavors are so restaurant fashion that I’d virtually cease ordering palak paneer exterior.
This proper here’s a gem! Every chew will make you shut your eyes and need extra. Dip some garlic naan or scoop it up with some jeera rice, both approach this palak paneer recipe is a winner!
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Palak Paneer Ingredients
Greens and contemporary herbs: I’ve used a mixture of contemporary spinach and coriander leaves for vibrant, herby flavors. Spinach delivers an earthy taste and that vivid inexperienced shade whereas coriander provides freshness and helps scale back any bitterness.
Paneer: I’ve used selfmade paneer because it delivers the softest, creamiest outcomes for this recipe. Even although store-bought paneer works, I’d extremely advocate making paneer from scratch you probably have 15 further minutes. It actually enhances this already superb recipe.
Aromatics and base flavors: onion, garlic, inexperienced chillies, and tomatoes kind the bottom of this paneer and spinach curry.
Whole spices: a delicate tempering of bayleaf, inexperienced cardamom, and cloves infuses the gravy with aroma and depth
Powdered spices: coriander powder, jeera (cumin) powder, garam masala for heat, taste, and stability
Cream: helps make the gravy richer and creamier. You can change it with soaked cashew paste for a vegan model
Kasuri methi: only a pinch proper on the finish provides a touch of smokiness and that restaurant-style aroma. a bit goes a great distance.
For the tadka/tempering: This step really elevates your palak paneer. Ghee (change with oil in the event you’re vegan), garlic (smashed with pores and skin on), entire dried purple chillies, jeera, and a sprinkle of purple chilli powder for that ultimate garlicky kick and shade distinction.
Frequently Asked Questions
This normally occurs when spinach is overcooked or boiled for too lengthy. To maintain the colour vibrant, prepare dinner the spinach simply until wilted and mix it straight away. You can even blanch it briefly and switch to ice-cold water earlier than mixing.
Frozen spinach works nice, simply thaw it utterly and squeeze out further water earlier than mixing. The taste stays virtually the identical, and it’s an incredible time-saver.
Bitterness can happen if the spinach is overcooked or if mature leaves had been used. Stir in a spoon of cream, milk, or perhaps a pinch of sugar or honey to stability out the bitterness.
Paneer turns into rubbery when it’s overcooked. Make positive so as to add it solely on the finish, after turning off the warmth, and let it gently soak within the scorching gravy as a substitute of boiling.
Richa’s Top Tips
- Preparing Spinach: If you desire a really creamy gravy, take away the hardy stems of spinach and solely use the leaves. The stems are nutritious however make the gravy extra fibrous
- Use solely Green Chillies: For a pure vivid inexperienced color in palak paneer, use solely inexperienced chillies for warmth. Don’t add any purple chilli powder as a result of that’s one positive shot approach of creating the gravy brownish. Plus we’ve got extra chilli powder within the tadka that goes on prime however doesn’t have an effect on the color in any approach
- Mild Spices: Stick to the recipe and don’t go heavy on the spices. This recipe actually doesn’t want it. Let the attractive flavour of palak or spinach actually shine
- Coriander: Don’t skip the coriander within the recipe as a result of it helps maintain that inexperienced intact and in addition cuts the bitterness out of the dish
- Don’t overcook: Palak paneer turns into brownish while you over prepare dinner the spinach puree. At each instances – first when sauteeing the spinach with onions, and later after you add the pureed spinach to the pan, prepare dinner for under 1-2 minutes. Bring the puree to a delicate boil and switch off the flame, as a result of the longer you prepare dinner, the extra oxidisation will happen and also you’ll depart that naturally lovely vivid inexperienced color.
- Don’t skip the cream: We will not be utilizing a lot – simply 2 tablespoons of cream in the whole recipe which serves 4. It provides quantity to the gravy and makes it wealthy and opulent.
- Vegan Palak Paneer: Palak paneer is well made right into a vegan recipe. Swap the paneer for tofu, the cream for coconut cream and the ghee for oil.
Serving Ideas
There are so many simple methods to get pleasure from Palak Paneer, and it matches fantastically into each weekday meals and particular menus.
- Classic Indian fashion: Soak up that creamy, spinach gravy with roti, naan, or paratha
- With rice: Try it with jeera rice, basmati rice, or ghee rice for a healthful choice.
- Combo meal concepts: Pair with dal tadka or dal fry, a small bowl of raita, and papad for a comforting, balanced meal.
- Creative twist: Use leftovers as a filling for wraps or stuffed in puff pastry for a intelligent breakfast or snack concept.
Customisation Tips
- Make it vegan: Swap out ghee and cream for vegetable oil and coconut cream or cashew cream to maintain it creamy with out dairy
- Play with spice: Add extra inexperienced chillies or purple chilli powder for warmth, or stability with a splash of lime juice in the event you choose a lighter, tangier taste
- Protein increase: Crumble up tofu as a substitute of paneer for a vegan-friendly, protein-rich model.
- Spinach + bonus greens: Mix in a handful of methi (fenugreek leaves), amaranth, or kale with the spinach for further depth and vitamins.
- Texture improve: Add a couple of roasted cashews or a spoon of almond paste whereas mixing for a richer, nutty base.
Storage Tips
Reheating: Warm it gently on the stovetop or within the microwave. Add a splash of milk or water if the gravy has thickened to make it come again to its creamy greatest.
Refrigeration: Store any leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. The flavors really deepen with time, making next-day palak paneer even higher.
Freezing: You can freeze the spinach gravy (with out paneer) for as much as 2 months. Just thaw and reheat earlier than including contemporary paneer to keep up the feel.
Palak paneer hits that good stability between healthful and indulgent with it’s creamy, mildly spiced, and stuffed with earthy taste. It’s a kind of dishes that reminds you ways easy making restaurant-style dishes at residence will be.
If you make this recipe, don’t neglect to tag me in your tales or DM me in your footage @my_foodstory.
Watch Palak Paneer Recipe Video
- 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 eliminated – roughly one bunch
- 10 grams contemporary Coriander, stems and roots eliminated – roughly 1/4 cup
- 1 Bayleaf
- 2 Cardamom Pods
- 2 Cloves
- 1 massive 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 right into a powder
- 2 tablespoon Cream
- 200 grams Paneer, minimize into cubes
Prevent your display from going darkish
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Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add sliced onions and inexperienced chillies and saute until the onion is simply beginning to develop into gentle brown. Add the palak (spinach) and coriander leaves and saute for a minute. Then flip off the warmth and canopy and let the leaves wilt for an additional 2-3 minutes. Set this apart to chill after which mix to a paste.
2 tablespoons Ghee, 6 Garlic Cloves, 1-2 Green Chilli, 1 Onion, 150 grams chopped Palak, 10 grams contemporary Coriander
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In a bowl, add paneer and canopy this with scorching water. Let this sit for 10 minutes. This step is elective, but it surely helps soften the paneer.
200 grams Paneer
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In the identical pan, warmth ghee and saute bayleaf, cardamom and cloves for a minute. Add ginger, sautee for a couple of seconds, add tomatoes, jeera powder, coriander powder and salt and prepare dinner the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes until gentle. Add kasuri methi and garam masala and prepare dinner for an additional minute.
1/2 inch Ginger, 1 Bayleaf, 2 Cardamom Pods, 2 Cloves, 1 massive 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
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Add the pureed spinach, water, and produce this to a delicate boil. Then flip off the warmth, add the cream and paneer and let the paneer heat up within the scorching gravy. If you haven’t soaked your paneer in scorching water earlier, then let the paneer simmer within the gravy for a minute.
1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoon Cream
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Finally make the tadka by add ghee and garlic to a small pan. Cook the garlic until its a golden brown. Then add entire purple chillies and jeera. Once the jeera begins spluttering, flip off the flame and add chilli powder.
1.5 tablespoons Ghee, 5 Garlic Cloves, 2-3 entire dried Red Chillies, 1 teaspoon Jeera, 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
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Pour this tadka on the palak paneer for an additional garlicky kick! Serve scorching.
- Use contemporary tender spinach leaves. You can discard the stems or use them for another dish. Tender stems nevertheless, can be utilized.
- I solely use paneer for this dish. However, it’s tremendous versatile. You can add your favorite greens like mushrooms, bell peppers, potato and so on., and even proteins like shrimp, rooster or mutton. The prepare dinner time will fluctuate accordingly.
- To make this dish vegan, you may substitute contemporary cream with coconut cream. You can even skip the cream if required.
- If the spinach tastes bitter, you may add half a teaspoon of sugar and regulate it to your liking.
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
This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal.
