Palak Paneer

Name: Palak Paneer
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings (about 3 1/2 cups)
Cuisine: indian
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 green chiles or 1 serrano chile, stemmed; 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped; 2 medium plum tomatoes; Ice, as needed; 6 packed cups/8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves; 2 tablespoons ghee; 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 small Indian bay leaf; 1 small yellow onion, diced; 1/2 teaspoon garam masala; 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder; 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves; 8 ounces paneer, diced into 1-inch cubes; 1 tablespoon heavy cream, plus more for serving; Salt; Naan and cooked basmati rice, for serving

By Farideh Sadeghin

Published May 24, 2024

Palak Paneer — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(149)
Comments: Read comments

A vegetarian dish of fresh, unripened cheese cooked in a thick, creamy spinach purée, paneer palak originated in the northern Indian state of Punjab. Named for its two primary ingredients — spinach and paneer cheese — palak paneer is reminiscent of saag paneer (which typically uses a mixture of greens, including spinach, fenugreek leaves and mustard greens) but instead uses blended spinach as its sole source of greens. A fresh, firm, mild cheese used throughout India, paneer is prized for its texture and its ability to absorb the flavors of its surrounding ingredients, as it holds its shape without melting when heated. If you’re unable to find paneer, you can try firm tofu instead. Here, the paneer is heated in the sauce, however, you could sear the cubes in a pan before adding them to the dish. Serve palak paneer with naan or steamed basmati rice.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (about 3½ cups)

2garlic cloves, peeled
2green chiles or 1 serrano chile, stemmed
1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2medium plum tomatoes
Ice, as needed
6packed cups/8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
2tablespoons ghee
½teaspoon cumin seeds
1small Indian bay leaf
1small yellow onion, diced
½teaspoon garam masala
½teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
1teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
8ounces paneer, diced into 1-inch cubes
1tablespoon heavy cream, plus more for serving
Salt
Naan and cooked basmati rice, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place the garlic, chiles and ginger in a food processor with 3 tablespoons of water. Purée until a paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set paste aside until ready to use.
Step 2
Coarsely grate the tomatoes on a box grater set directly on your cutting board. Discard the skins and set the grated tomatoes aside until ready to use.
Step 3
Fill a medium bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, then transfer the spinach to the bowl of ice water until cold, about 5 minutes. Drain, discarding the water and ice cubes.
Step 4
Transfer the spinach to a food processor or blender along with ½ cup of water and purée until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 5
Heat the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to pop, about 30 seconds, then add the bay leaf and onion and cook until the onion is soft and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the reserved garlic-ginger paste and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes, then stir in the garam masala and chile powder. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 6
Stir in the reserved spinach purée, the fenugreek leaves and 1 cup water. Decrease the heat so the mixture is at slow simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 7
Add the paneer and 1 tablespoon cream and stir until the paneer has warmed through, about 3 minutes. (Take care not to heat the paneer too long in the sauce or it will become chewy.) Season with salt and remove the bay leaf. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with more cream. Serve with naan and rice.

Ratings

5 out of 5

149 user ratings

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Comments

Brian Spolarich11 months ago

I make paneer regularly. I heat one gallon of whole milk with 1-2 tsp salt on medium heat to just under the boil (205F). One trick to make cleanup easier is to spray your pot with cooking spray before adding the milk. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cups or so of white vinegar. The curds will separate to the top. Use a ladle or scoop to remove the curds and drain into a colander or strainer with a couple of layers of cheesecloth. I would avoid dumping the entire pot into the colander and go slow.

suralottie1 year ago

I've had it and there is no comparison to good palak paneer

Tati1 year ago

I think the process for grating tomatoes usually involves cutting it in half and then grating the soft, inside part. Doing it this way means the tomato's skin is left behind and I think this is what the author meant. :-)

Peter3 weeks ago

This can be simplified if you are short on time. I used the same blender for 1. The ginger garlic chili purée 2. the tomatoes and 3. the spinach. (I used frozen spinach, thawed.) And because I didn’t have paneer I used firm tofu. Which was all fine!

Intermittent cook3 weeks ago

Why does the cooked spinach need to be soaked in ice water?

LydiaZ3 weeks ago

I love this made with half mustard greens, half spinach. I get them both frozen at the grocery store. The fenugreek is key and you need way more than a teaspoon! Get the punjabi kind if you can find it—take a good handful and crumble it in. Your hands will smell amazing for a day!

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