Palak Paneer | पालक पनीर - winter special

Palak Paneer is an Indian recipe made using Palak (Spinach) & Paneer ( Indian Farmer's cottage cheese ).

Palak is available all round the year,but the palak we get in winter is very tender and tasty. So ,I definitely look forward to winters to make this delicious palak Paneer gravy.  Tonight for dinner we polished off creamy palak Paneer with soft and hot fulkas . It was soothing and something we needed to ward off the chillness .

There are many ways to make palak Paneer,but I follow this simple and quick recipe which never fails me . I also have a no Onion No garlic recipe on the blog. The link is marked here , No Onion No garlic paneer palak 

I keep the spices very minimal to bring out the flavor of palak . Onions and cashews blanched with the palak,give a creamy texture to the gravy . The subtle sweetness from onions and cashews enhance the taste making palak Paneer very delicious. 

Avoid using spinach or any green leafy vegetables during monsoon. It is possible that due to rains ,the leafy grains may contain some bacteria which is not good for the stomach and we may end up with a stomach bug.

My friends love my palak Paneer a lot and it was always on my cook list when we used to host a lot of friends during our stay in the US. Hubby's office colleagues, who are Americans loved palak Paneer so much that they asked hubby to get it for a potluck event at their company. 

What more is needed for a passionate cook ,other than these appreciation? I was on cloud 9 and am still feeling nostalgic as I am typing it. 

I  had posted this recipe in my early days of blogging, sometime in 2013 when I used to have a small digital camera using which I used to shoot my photos. Editing tools weren't so easily available and lack of knowledge, I had posted all raw and amateur images . As I am working on my old posts these days ,I have updated the post with a collage of step wise recipe progress and a few decent final photos of the recipe.  

Updated in December 2024 

Original posting - Feb 2013

Preparation Time : 25 mins

Cooling Time - 15 to 20 mins 
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves - 2-3

Ingredients

250 grams Palak / Spinach 
100 grams Paneer
1 onion chopped
2 - 3 Green chillies
1tsp ginger garlic paste 
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt as per taste
1/4 tsp sugar.
Few cashews 
Whole spices
1tsp jeera 
Small stick cinnamon 
3 cloves
2 cardamom

Method

• Clean the spinach leaves and wash it under running water.Drain the spinach in a colander.
• In a heavy bottomed vessel blanch the spinach leaves,onions, cashew and green chillies. Add salt and sugar, this will retain the green color and not fade.
• Cool it completely .
• In a blender add the blanched spinach,ginger garlic paste ,handful of fresh corriander and grind into a fine puree.
• Cut the paneer into small cubes and keep aside soaked in warm water .Drain the water before frying the paneer.
• Shallow fry the paneer cubes in a little oil till they turn a little brown
• Heat a little oil in a vessel,add cumin seeds,cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.Roast the whole spices on low flame till the flavors seep into the oil.
• Add the spinach puree to the pan and cook for a few minutes. 
• When the gravy begins to bubble, add the paneer cubes to the gravy and cook for about 2 mins
• Donot cook much after adding the paneer, else the paneer Will turn hard and rubbery. 
• You can add some fresh cream just before serving. 
• Serve hot with rotis,naan or steamed rice.