Palak Paneer Recipe- Indian Spinach Paneer
Palak Paneer recipe is one of the most popular paneer recipes in North India. In this creamy and savory stew, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is cooked with spinach and spices. It’s delicious with naan, paratha, or jeera rice. My brothers would only eat spinach if it was prepared with paneer in palak paneer when we were kids.
It was a fantastic way to sneak in some greens. They wouldn’t touch spinach otherwise, but if it came with paneer, they’d cheerfully eat bowls of it. Palak Paneer is a popular dish in northern India. It’s one of the most popular paneer recipes in Indian households. It was considerably more common in my house than, for instance, paneer butter masala or shahi paneer. Perhaps because it was thought to be healthier than the other creamy types of paneer. Whatever the cause, we were always overjoyed when Mom made it!
What exactly is Palak Paneer?
In Hindi, palak means spinach.
Paneer is a type of Indian cottage cheese.
As a result, this dish contains spinach and Indian cottage cheese.
The spinach is blanched before being pureed. It is then spiced and boiled on low heat with paneer. The cream is used to reduce the harshness of the spinach leaves while also making them richer. If you don’t want to use cream, you can substitute yogurt or milk.
How to Make Palak Paneer
Everyone has their unique technique of creating this meal, and to be honest, I prepare it differently every time.
This recipe is pretty basic, and I’d describe it as a home-style palak paneer recipe. It makes use of basic spices and ingredients. I blanch the spinach before pureeing it for the curry. After the spinach has been boiled, place it in a bowl of ice-cold water. This aids in the preservation of the spinach’s color.
The spinach puree, tomato, onion, ginger, and garlic flavor the curry. I use a lot of garlic since spinach and garlic work so well together in my opinion. If you are not a fan, you can reduce your intake or avoid it entirely. You can even leave out the tomatoes if you choose. It will still be fantastic!
For this palak paneer recipe, I frequently use my own paneer. It truly is the greatest. If you use store-bought paneer, just soak it in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes before using it in the recipe. The store-bought paneer will be extremely soft.
Many people choose to pan-fried their paneer before adding it to the recipe. I’m not a fan because I like basic soft paneer. However, if desired, pan-fried the paneer cubes in 1 to 2 teaspoons oil till golden brown before adding to the dish.
Because spinach is a touch bitter, I add little cream and sugar to help lessen the taste. You can also add a little sugar, but this is entirely optional. For more such recipes click here
