Palak Paneer

Name: Palak Paneer
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) spinach, large stems removed; 1 green chili; 400 g (14 oz) paneer, in 2 cm (¾ in) cubes; 3 tbsp ghee or neutral oil, divided; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, grated; 20 g (1 in piece) fresh ginger, grated; 1 tomato, finely chopped; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed; optional; 6 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt, plus more to taste; 4 tbsp heavy cream, plus a little to finish; 1 tsp lemon juice

Golden paneer in a bright, smooth spinach sauce

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 40 min
Level: Some skill

Palak paneer should be vividly green, not murky. Blanching the spinach briefly and cooling it fast keeps its color, and the spiced onion-tomato base is cooked separately, so the spinach only needs a few minutes in the pan. Pan-frying the paneer first gives it a golden crust.

Ingredients

500 gspinach (1 lb 2 oz)large stems removed
1green chili
400 gpaneer (14 oz)in 2 cm (¾ in) cubes
3 tbspghee or neutral oildivided
1 tspcumin seeds
1onionfinely chopped
3 clovesgarlicgrated
20 gfresh ginger (1 in piece)grated
1tomatofinely chopped
1 tspground coriander
½ tspground turmeric
½ tspKashmiri chili powder
1 tspgaram masala
1 tspdried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)crushed; optional
6 gfine sea salt (1 tsp)plus more to taste
4 tbspheavy creamplus a little to finish
1 tsplemon juice

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: milk
Origin: India (Punjab)

Method

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and have a bowl of iced water ready. Blanch the spinach and chili for 1 minute, until just wilted and bright green. Lift into the iced water, then squeeze lightly. 1 min
Blend the spinach and chili with 100 ml (⅓ cup) of the iced water to a smooth purée.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the paneer until golden on two or three sides, 4–5 minutes. Tip into a bowl of warm salted water to keep it soft. 5 min
Heat the remaining ghee in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds for 20 seconds, then the onion, and cook until golden, 8 minutes. 8 min
Add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then the tomato, coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Cook until the tomato breaks down and the oil separates, 5 minutes. 6 min
Add the spinach purée, garam masala, fenugreek and salt. Simmer gently for 3 minutes — no longer, or it dulls. 3 min
Drain the paneer and stir it in with the cream and lemon juice. Heat through for 1 minute. Taste for salt, swirl over a little more cream and serve with rice or flatbread.

Why it works

Chlorophyll turns olive-drab when it is heated for long or in acid. A brief blanch and an ice bath set the color, and adding the purée at the very end keeps cooking short. Soaking the fried paneer in warm water keeps it soft and stops it turning rubbery.

Common mistakes

Long simmering: the spinach turns brown and loses its freshness.
Skipping the paneer soak: it toughens in the sauce.

Variations

Saag with potatoes: Replace the paneer with 500 g boiled waxy potato cubes fried until golden.
Vegan: Use firm tofu instead of paneer, oil instead of ghee and coconut cream instead of cream.

Make ahead and storage

The spinach base keeps 2 days; add the paneer and cream when reheating.

Notes

Frozen spinach (400 g, thawed and squeezed) works; skip the blanching.