It’s easy. It’s restaurant style. It’s none other than Easy Restaurant Style Palak Paneer–a creamy concotion of spinach, spices and Indian cheese. It’s a classic yet unlike a lot of other curries, you will find that no two restaurants serve a palak parneer that tastes the same. This is because there is no standard spice blend, like garam masala, or curry powder, that is used or recommended for this dish.
Instead, every chef and cook in India comes up with their own spice mix, just for this curry. Why? Heavy spicing obscures and robs spinach of its fresh and vibtrant greenness. In other words, we end up gaining the spice and losing the spinach. And that is against a fundamenta tenet of Indian cooking–use spices to enhance the natural flavor of veggies, not obscure them.
In fact, I myself have two different spice blends and methods of making this flavorful dish. Here I share one of them with you. Try it, be inspired and create your version. Keep the palak paneer revolution going.
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Palak Paneer (Spinach and Cheese Curry)
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Spinach is sauteed with Indian spices, simmered in heavy cream and topped with luscious Indian cheese.
Ingredients
Making the Palak Paneer Masala (Spinach and Cheese Curry Spice Blend):
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. Kashmiri red chili
2 cloves
For Making the Palak Paneer (For Making Spinach and Cheese Curry):
1 tbsp. ghee or butter
1 tbsp. oil
2 1/2 cups spinach, chopped finely
1/2 cup paneer, chopped into 2 cm. cubes
1/2 cup onions, med. diced
1/4 cup tomato, med. diced
1/4 cup frozen peas
3 tbsp. garlic paste
1/2 jalapeno, sliced into rounds, then quarters
1 green chili, fine diced
1 bay leaf
2 green cardamom pods
2Â whole cloves
1 star anise
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt to taste (approximately 1/2-3/4 tsp.)
A quarter wedge of lemon
1 – 1 1/4 cups water
Instructions
1. Grind all the ingrediens under “Making the Palak Paneer Masala” into a fine powder. Set aside.
2. Melt 1 tbsp. ghee (butter) on med. heat. Add 1 tbsp. oil.
3. Toss in the whole spices: 1 bay leaf, 2 cardamom pods, 2 whole cloves and the star anise. Saute for 2 mins.
4. Add 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds and fry for 2 mins. until they pop.
4. Add the jalapeno and chili and saute for 1 min.
5. Add 1/2 cup onions, 1/4 cup frozen peas and 3 tbsp. garlic paste. Cook for 3 mins.
6. Add 1 tsp. palak paneer masala. Cook for 3-4 mins. If the masala sticks to the bottom of the pan, add 2-3 tbsp. water.
7. Toss in the tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. each of salt and turmeric. Cook for 2 mins.
8. Turn off the stove for 2 mins to let mixture cool. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and turn the stove back on to med.-low or low flame.
9. Slide in the spinach and pour in 1/2 cup water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5-6 mins.
10. Remove the bay leaf and blend to a fine puree.
11. Toss the puree back in the pan, add another 1/2-3/4 cup water plus 1/2 cup paneer cubes.
12. Turn the heat upto med.-high and cook for 5 mins. until paneer softens.
13. Taste and adjust seasoning (adding either a few pinches or 1/4 tsp. salt).
14. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon. Note, this is very important–without the lemon, the curry will be flat, instead of robust and vibrant.
15. Easy Restaurant Style Palak Paneer is ready! Serve hot with rice or naan/roti.
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 322
- Sugar: 2.8
- Sodium: 383
- Fat: 16.8
- Saturated Fat: 6.7
- Carbohydrates: 43.2
- Fiber: 16.3
- Protein: 9.9
- Cholesterol: 31
Keywords: Palak Paneer, Saag Paneer, Creamed Spinach, Spinach, Cottage Cheese, Spinach and Cottage Cheese, Methi Malai Mutter, Palak Panir, Saag Panir, North Indian, Restaurant Style Palak Paneer, Restaurant Style Saag Paneer, Vegetarian, Indian, Curry, Spinach Curry
Eating With Your Eyes:
Other Restaurant Style Dishes
- Luscious, ripe tomatoes are reduced down to a sweet essence, then layered with peas and paneer to form a curry that rich without any butter or cream–See Matar Paneer recipe at https://veggiemashups.com/7-veggie-udon-stir-fry/.
Other Easy Restaurant Style Palak (Spinach) Dishes
- A medley of greens are simmered in cream and milk, then layered with paneer. It’s a greener, creamier palak paneer. See Hairyali Paneer at https://veggiemashups.com/hariyali-paneer/
The Lingo of Indian Greens
If you are interested in learning about the different Indian greens that are available and what they are called, see this informative article by First Post at https://www.firstpost.com/health/forget-kale-you-should-be-eating-these-10-indian-greens-instead-7884601.html
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