How To Prepare Delicious Palak Paneer Recipe Quickly At Your Home?

When we talk about paneer recipes, Palak Paneer is one recipe that instantly pops up in the mind. Rightly so, palak paneer is one of the most popular Indian dishes. Soft paneer cubes cooked in a smooth spinach paste is both healthy and hearty. All Indians are familiar with this dish. However, there are variations in the way it is cooked.

Have a look at our take on the delicious Palak Paneer recipe.

Palak Paneer Recipe

• Preparation Time: 30 minutes
  
• Total Time: 40 minutes (approx.)
  
• Servings: 4-5

Required Ingredients for Palak Paneer Recipe:

For The Puree:

• Spinach – 250 gms
  
• Green chillies, chopped – 2
  
• Garlic cloves – 2
  
• Ginger – chopped, ½ inch
  
• Water – 6 cups

For The Curry:

• Onion, medium sized – 1
  
• Tomato, medium sized – 1
  
• Garlic cloves, chopped – 5
  
• Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
  
• A pinch of turmeric
  
• A pinch of asafoetida
  
• Red chilli powder – ½ teaspoon
  
• Salt, as required
  
• Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon
  
• Indian bay leaf (tej patta) – 1 piece
  
• Paneer – 250 gms
  
• Fresh cream – 2 tablespoons
  
• Oil / ghee – 5 tablespoons

How To Prepare Palak Paneer Quickly At Your Home?

There may be different methods to prepare Palak Paneer Recipe, but the following method is the simplest method that I have seen so far. It is very tasty too. 

Making of the Puree:

1. Start by thoroughly rinsing the spinach leaves in clean running water.
   
2. Add the spinach leaves to 3 cups of hot boiling water and add ¼ teaspoon salt to it.
   
3. Let the Palak leaves sit in the water for about 2 minutes and then strain from the water.
   
4. Now, add the palak leaves to ice cold water immediately. This step helps in retaining the greenish colour from the spinach leaves which otherwise would go due to boiling.
   
5. Let the spinach stay in ice water for 2 minutes.
   
6. Now drain the ice water and add spinach leaves in a blender with the ginger, garlic cloves and green chillies.
   
7. Blend it well till you get a lovely thick Palak puree.

Making of the Curry

1. Heat the oil or ghee in a pan, add the cumin seeds and wait for it to splatter.
   
2. Next, add the bay leaf and the finely chopped onions.
   
3. Wait until the onions get translucent, but be careful of not over browning it.
   
4. Now add the chopped garlic, sauté for a little while, add tomatoes and cook them until they are soft and mushy and at this point, you should be able to see the oils releasing from the mixture.
   
5. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida to the mixture.
   
6. Stir continuously and later, add the palak puree to the mixture and keep stirring after adding the same.
   
7. Now add ½ cup of water or as required and stir well again.
   
8. Let the mixture cook in low flame for about 5-7 minutes or until the spinach is completely cooked.
   
9. Add salt as per your taste and also add the garam masala to the mixture.
   
10. Now add the Paneer cubes and let it cook for 5 minutes or until they are soft and succulent.
    
11. Add a generous amount of fresh cream on top and mix well so that it incorporates into the mixture.
    
12. You can top it up with some more fresh cream or butter on top.

Serve hot with some naans, ghee rice or jeera rice. Also squeeze in a few drops of fresh lemon juice for that fresh zesty flavour.You can fry the paneer cubes lightly before adding them into the gravy. In this case, you do not need to cook the paneer for long in the mixture.

This is how you can prepare Palak Paneer. Try it today itself at your home and share your comments with us.