Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is a creamy , delicious vegetarian Indian dish . The recipe consist of paneer in thick gravy made of Spinach puree , seasoned with spices . Here in this Recipe I have saute paneer in butter , to give more flavor to the dish . In fact some add crumbled paneer in the gravy , where as some add tomato and sugar to balance the taste .Here is my version of Palak Paneer .....!

INGREDIENTS : 

1 bunch spinach 

150 gms paneer 

1 tsp coriander powder 

1 tsp kasuri methi ( optional ) 

2 -3 green chillies 

1-2 bay leaves 

1/4 tsp cumin seeds 
50 -70 gms cashews 

4-5 cloves of garlic butter 

1 small onion finely chopped 

1/4 tsp garam masala 

1/4 tsp red chilly powder 

2 -3 tbsp cream

1 tomato  ( peeled and chopped )

ginger julienne for garnish

lemon wedges 

sat to taste 

vegetable oil /ghee /butter 

METHOD : 

• Rinse palak or spinach leaves thoroughly in running water , drain and discard the stems from the leaves .
• Boil 3-4 cups of water with pinch of salt , add the palak leaves and let it rest in water foe 2-3 minutes .
• Strain the leaves and immediately add them to bowl containning ice cold water for preserving the green colour . Let it rest for 2-3 minutes in ice cold water , drain and add the spinach in a food processor with green chillies and cashews . Blend to a smooth paste without adding any water to it .
• In a pan heat oil /butter / ghee , add cumin seeds and let it spluter .
• Add bay leaves and fineyl chopped garlic , saute for a minute . 
• Add finely chopped onions and fry until golden brown .
• Add chopped tomato and saute until the tomatoes have soften and formed into pulp.
• Add coriander powder and red chilly powder , roast the the masala until the oil separates.
• Add the palak mixture , dry crushed kasuri methi ( optional ) and mix well .
• Add 1/2 cup water and salt ,  stir and let it simmer for 8- 9 minutes or until spinach is cooked properly .
• Sprinkle some garam masala powder and let it simmer .
• Side by side in another fry pan , add butter and fry the paneer pieces .
• Add these paneer pieces to the gravy and simmer for a minute or 2 until paneer becomes soft .
• Now add cream and lightly stir so that cream gets mixed in the gravy .
• Switch off the gas and serve hot with come lemon wedges and top some ginger julienne and fresh cream if desired .
• Serve with roti , phulkas , naans or jeera / plain rice with fresh salads. { Recipe by Zulekha Arafat }

NOTE : 

• Increase or decrease the number green chilies as per your preferences .
• Some do add 1/2 tsp sugar too , so if you want you can add too .
• If you do not want to fry the paneer pieces , you can avoid that step .
• You can add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste too , instead of adding garlic add ginger garlic paste , fry until raw smell disappears and then continue .
• I did not add ginger , but if you want you can add small piece of ginger when blending green chilies , cashews and spinach in a food processor .
• You can make delicious paneer at home , click here for Recipe link .

PREPARATION TIME : 20 -30 Minutes

COOKING TIME : 10 -15 Minutes .

TOTAL TIME : 40-45 Minutes approximately .

SERVES : 4 Persons .