Recipe: PALAK PANEER

Palak Paneer

I have been making Palak Paneer since many years, adding and deleting ingredients but never satisfied with the taste. The last time I made it, I hit upon the perfect recipe. My family members loved it.

Palak Bunch

INGREDIENTS

Palak – 3 bunches (coarsely chopped, I don’t remove the stalks)
Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch
Paneer – 250 gm (cut into cubes or lengths)
Jeera – ½ tsp
Bay Leaf – 1-2
Oil – 5 tbsp
Salt to taste

To grind

Cashew nuts – 6 (soaked in water for ½ an hour)
Onion – 2 (peeled and cut)
Garlic – 4 cloves

Cubed Paneer (cottage cheese)

Ginger – ½” piece
Green Chillies – 3-4

Masala Powders

Dhania Powder – ¼ tsp
Jeera Powder – ¼ tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Mirchi Powder – ¼ tsp
Garam Masala Powder – ¼ tsp

METHOD

1. Boil the palak along with a little salt and turmeric powder. Once cooked, use a hand mixer to coarse grind it. If you are using a regular mixer, wait for it to cool down.
2. Grind the five ingredients listed together into a smooth paste.
3. Take a saucepan, heat the oil and shallow fry the paneer pieces and remove to a bowl.
4. Heat the leftover oil and crackle jeera and the bay leaves in it.
5. Add the ground masala and fry for 3-4 minutes.
6. Now, add the masala powders to the cooking mixture.
7. Mix well and add some salt. Take note that some salt is already added to the palak.
8. Cook for another couple of minutes before adding the palak to this.
9. Mix thoroughly, check for salt and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add the aromatic palak gravy to the shallow fried paneer and there you have the Palak Paneer. Serve hot with rotis, puris or rice as you please. It tastes absolutely delicious.