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Indian
Palak Paneer
30 min total12 prep18 cook2 servings380 cal
VegetarianFlexitarianClassicLow-CarbContains dairy
Silky pureed spinach studded with golden-fried paneer cubes, gently spiced with cumin and garlic and finished with a touch of cream. It's a comforting, mild curry that's ready in well under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
produce
- 400 gspinach
- 1onion
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 1 tspginger
- 1green chili
dairy
- 200 gpaneer
- 60 mlcream
- 2 tbspghee
pantry
- 1 tspcumin
- 0.5 tspsalt
Steps
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the spinach for 30–45 seconds until just wilted. Drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, then drain again.
- Transfer the blanched spinach to a blender with a splash of water and blend until smooth. Set the puree aside.
- Cut the paneer into 2cm cubes. Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and ginger, and slice the green chili.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the paneer cubes in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until golden on the edges. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining ghee to the same skillet, then the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 15 seconds. Add the onion and cook for 5–6 minutes until soft and golden.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green chili, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the spinach puree and salt, and simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
- Fold in the fried paneer and simmer for 2 minutes to warm through. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream.
- Taste and adjust salt, then serve hot with rice or roti.
Tips
- Blanch the spinach briefly in boiling water and shock it in ice water to keep its bright green color when blended.
- Fry the paneer in batches so each cube gets space to brown — crowding the pan will steam it instead.
- Blend the spinach until completely smooth for the classic silky texture, then loosen with a splash of water if it's too thick.
- Add the cream off the heat at the end so it doesn't split in the pan.
