This Easy Palak Paneer recipe tastes incredible with a few secret tips and tricks. Quick, easy but so good!!
Palak paneer is a house favourite and I've been improving my recipe for years.In fact its one of the first few recipes I shared on the website, and I love that version but a lot has changed since and this new and improved recipe is absolutely amazing!
I'm referring to a creamy, lightly spiced, herbaceous green gravy that doesn't taste particularly harsh because it doesn't contain any spinach. This is a real gem right here! You will close your eyes after each bite and need more. Garlic naan or jeera rice can be used as a scoop.
As you may know, spinach has an odd, bitter flavour that can occasionally be downright unpleasant, so I wasn't always a fan of palak paneer. However, I've had some truly delicious palak paneer throughout the years, and I'll never forget that flavour!
Additionally, this dish is simple, so there are no difficult processes, a short list of masalas, or a lot of preparation required. Additionally, the flavours are practically restaurant-style.
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
1.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.
2.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.
3.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.
4.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.
5.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.
6.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
.
7.Pour this tadka on the palak paneer for an extra garlicky kick! Serve hot.
Top tips to make palak paneer
1.Preparing Spinach: If you want a truly creamy gravy, remove the hardy stems of spinach and only use the leaves. The stems are nutritious but make the gravy more fibrous
Use only Green Chillies: For a natural bright green colour in palak paneer, use only green chillies for heat. Don't add any red chilli powder because that's one sure shot way way of making the gravy brownish. Plus we have more chilli powder in the tadka that goes on top but doesn't affect the colour in any way.
2.Mild Spices: Stick to the recipe and don't go heavy on the spices. This recipe really doesn't need it. Let the beautiful flavour of palak or spinach really shine.
3.Coriander: Don't skip the coriander in the recipe because it helps keep that green intact and also cuts the bitterness out of the dish.
4.Don't overcook: Palak paneer becomes brownish when you over cook the spinach puree. At both times - first when sauteeing the spinach with onions, and later after you add the pureed spinach to the pan, cook for only 1-2 minutes. Bring the puree to a gentle boil and turn off the flame, because the longer you cook, the more oxidisation will take place and you'll leave that naturally beautiful bright green colour.
5.Don't skip the cream: We are not using much - just 2 tablespoons of cream in the entire recipe which serves four. It adds volume to the gravy and makes it rich and luxurious.
6.Vegan Palak Paneer: Palak paneer is easily made into a vegan recipe. Swap the paneer for tofu, the cream for coconut cream and the ghee for oil.
Comments
Post a Comment