Palak Paneer
Spinach blanched and shocked so it stays green, blitzed coarse, and paneer added at the very end.
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 25m
- Total
- 45m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Moderate
Scale
Units
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 2 tbsp | Fry until soft and golden 8m | Cook the masala until the oil separates 15m | Add the spinach purée and simmer 5 minutes 6m Short and hot. Long cooking is what turns palak from green to olive. | Fold in the paneer and warm through, 3 minutes 3m Paneer last. Simmered in the gravy it turns rubbery. | |
| 1 tsp | |||||
| 1 | |||||
| 1 tbsp | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 2 tsp | |||||
| 1/2 tsp | |||||
| 1 tsp | |||||
| 500 g | Blanch 45 seconds, plunge into iced water, then blitz coarse 8m The ice bath stops the cooking dead and locks the colour in. | ||||
| a handful | |||||
| 250 g | Fry until golden on two sides 6m Optional, but browning the paneer stops it going squeaky. | ||||
| 1 tsp | |||||
| 2 tbsp | |||||
-
Fry until soft and golden
8m- ghee 2 tbsp
- cumin seeds 1 tsp
- onion 1
- ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp
- green chillies 2
-
Cook the masala until the oil separates
15m- from 1 Fry until soft and golden
- tomatoes 2
- ground coriander 2 tsp
- ground turmeric 1/2 tsp
- salt 1 tsp
-
Blanch 45 seconds, plunge into iced water, then blitz coarse
8m- spinach 500 g
- coriander leaves (optional) a handful
The ice bath stops the cooking dead and locks the colour in.
-
Add the spinach purée and simmer 5 minutes
6m- from 2 Cook the masala until the oil separates
- from 3 Blanch 45 seconds, plunge into iced water, then blitz coarse
Short and hot. Long cooking is what turns palak from green to olive.
-
Fry until golden on two sides
6m- paneer 250 g
Optional, but browning the paneer stops it going squeaky.
-
Fold in the paneer and warm through, 3 minutes
3m- from 4 Add the spinach purée and simmer 5 minutes
- from 5 Fry until golden on two sides
- garam masala 1 tsp
- double cream (optional) 2 tbsp
Paneer last. Simmered in the gravy it turns rubbery.
Keeping it green
Chlorophyll degrades to a dull olive pigment with prolonged heat and acid. A 45-second blanch followed by an ice bath sets the colour and stops the enzymes responsible; adding the purée near the end keeps its time in the hot pan short. Cook raw spinach down in the masala for twenty minutes and you get a tasty, brown dish.
Notes
- Coarse blitz, not a smooth purée. Some texture is the difference between palak paneer and soup.
- Soak fried paneer in warm salted water for ten minutes to soften it again.
- Cream is optional and traditional versions often skip it — the spinach is already rich enough with ghee.