Palak paneer is a very authentic North Indian dish and one of the most popular Punjabi dish prepared by palak(Spinach) and paneer(indian cottage cheese) with a thick gravy. It is a popular vegetarian dish.
Ingredients for Palak Paneer Recipe
- Palak/Spinach – 1 bunch
- Paneer/Cottage Cheese – 12-15 cubes
- Green chillies – 4-5 (as per taste)
- Tomato – 1 medium
- Onion – half of 1 big(chopped)
- Cashews – 2 tbsp (ground to a fine powder)
- Gralic-ginger paste – 1 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
- Cumin powder -1/2 tsp
- Ghee(clarified butter) – 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Sugar – a pinch
Procedure for preparing Palak Paneer Recipe
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and fry the paneer cubes slightly(you may also put the paneer pieces to the curry without frying them. I usually fry them lightly) and keep aside. Clean the palak leaves and tear them to smaller pieces .
Roast the cashews slightly and grind it to a fine powder.
Heat a pan and add add a little oil and then the green chillies along with the palak leaves. Sauté them till the leaves become more tender. Now let the palak cool and then grind it to a smooth paste along with a little bit of salt.
Take a medium sized tomato and make a puree of it by grinding it in a mixer. Keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadhai/pan and add the chopped onions to it ad sauté till tender. To this add the garlic-ginger paste, cumin and coriander powder and sauté for a minute.
Now add the tomato puree and the powdered cashews and sauté for another 2 minutes. Finally add the palak paste and bring it to boil by adding just a little bit of water as gravy needs to quite thick and not watery. As soon as the gravy comes to a boil add the paneer pieces and let it simmer for 1 minute . Check seasoning and add salt if required and also a pinch of sugar to balance the taste. Yummy palak paneer is ready to eat. Serve it hot with rotis or chappatis.