Palak Paneer

Ingredients

Spinach

• 700 gspinach leaves
• 2green chillies
• 3cm ginger
• a bowl of iced water

Paneer

• 400 gpaneer, cubed
• 1 tspsalt
• warm water, for soaking

Base

• 3 tbspghee or oil
• 1 tspcumin seed
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 1tomato, chopped
• 1 tspground coriander
• ½ tspturmeric
• 1 tspgaram masala
• ½ tspred chilli powder
• salt

To finish

• 60 mldouble cream
• 1 tspkasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaf
• 1 tsplemon juice
• 1 tspbutter

To serve

• roti, naan or rice

Directions

1. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and have a bowl of iced water ready beside it. Ninety seconds is enough. Lift it straight into the iced water. Spinach left to cool in its own heat keeps cooking and goes dull.
2. Drain it and squeeze out most of the water, but not all of it. Squeeze it firmly or the gravy will be watery, but leave it slightly damp so it blends smoothly.
3. Blend the spinach, chillies and ginger to a purée, coarse or smooth as you prefer. Now soak the paneer cubes in warm salted water for 15 minutes.
4. Heat the ghee and crackle the cumin seeds. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 8 minutes, then the garlic. Add the tomato, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder and cook until the tomato collapses and the fat separates.
5. Wait for the oil to separate from the masala. It is the sign the base is properly cooked, and it takes longer than most people give it. Cook the spinach for 5 minutes only, and no more. Once the purée is in the pan it should be warmed through and finished, not simmered for twenty minutes.
6. Add a splash of water if it is too thick, and season with salt. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms and stir it in. Add the paneer, the garam masala and the cream and warm through for 2 minutes.
7. Finish with lemon juice and a knob of butter off the heat. The lemon at the end lifts the whole dish and keeps the green looking fresh on the plate. Serve hot with roti, naan or plain rice alongside.

Technique

• Home-made paneer is far softer than shop-bought and takes twenty minutes to make.
• It thickens as it stands and is loosened with a splash of milk or water.
• Adding a pinch of sugar balances any bitterness in the spinach.

Substitutions

• Firm tofu in place of paneer, for a vegan version with coconut cream.
• Frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, which works well.

Variations

• Saag paneer, with mixed greens including mustard leaf.
• Palak aloo, with potato instead of cheese.
• With a coarse rather than smooth purée.

History

A dish of paneer, a fresh, unaged Indian cheese, cooked in a smooth spinach purée, developed in North Indian cooking as part of a wider vegetarian culinary tradition in which paneer serves as a protein source for communities and religious practices that avoid meat. Paneer-making itself, curdling milk with an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar rather than rennet, produces a cheese that holds its shape when cooked rather than melting, a technical property that made it especially adaptable to being simmered directly in sauces like spinach purée without breaking down. Its exact date of invention as a specifically named dish is not well documented, though spinach and fresh cheese have both been established, separately, in North Indian home cooking for a long stretch of history before being combined into this now-standard pairing.

Frequently asked questions

What is Palak Paneer?

Palak Paneer is a main from India: fresh cheese cubes in pureed spinach gravy. A dish of paneer, a fresh, unaged Indian cheese, cooked in a smooth spinach purée, developed in North Indian cooking as part of a wider vegetarian culinary tradition in which paneer serves as a protein source for communities and religious practices that avoid meat. Paneer-making itself, curdling milk with an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar rather than rennet, produces a cheese that holds its shape when cooked rather than melting, a technical property that made it especially adaptable to being simmered directly in sauces like spinach purée without breaking down. Its exact date of invention as a specifically named dish is not well documented, though spinach and fresh cheese have both been established, separately, in North Indian home cooking for a long stretch of history before being combined into this now-standard pairing.

How long does Palak Paneer take to make?

Palak Paneer takes 25 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Palak Paneer?

Yes, within limits. Firm tofu in place of paneer, for a vegan version with coconut cream. Frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, which works well.

What is the most important thing to get right in Palak Paneer?

Wait for the oil to separate from the masala. It is the sign the base is properly cooked, and it takes longer than most people give it. Cook the spinach for 5 minutes only, and no more. Once the purée is in the pan it should be warmed through and finished, not simmered for twenty minutes.