Palak paneer
45 min · 26 g protein · 350 cals / serving
Seared cubes of paneer in a bright, silky spinach sauce cooked with onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and warm spices, the North Indian restaurant favourite made at home. Thick yogurt stirred in at the end replaces the usual cream and gives the sauce a gentle tang.
Ingredients
Spinach sauce
- 1 3/4 lb spinach, or 600 g (1 1/3 lb) frozen
Spinach sauce
- 1 tsp ground cumin, or cumin seeds
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 thumb ginger, grated
- 1–2 green chili pepper, finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Steps
- Blanch the spinach in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, drain and run it under cold water so it keeps its colour. Squeeze lightly and blend it to a coarse purée.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the ghee in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and sear the paneer cubes for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden on a few sides. Set aside.
- Heat the rest of the ghee in the same pan, add the cumin for 20 seconds, then the onion and cook 6–8 minutes until golden. Add the garlic, ginger and chili for a minute, then the tomato, coriander, turmeric and salt and cook 5 minutes until the tomato collapses.
- Stir in the spinach purée and the water and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat, stir in the garam masala, then the yogurt a spoonful at a time so it stays smooth. Add the paneer and lemon juice, warm through over low heat without boiling and taste for salt.
Good to know
Why take the pan off the heat for the yogurt?
Yogurt can split if it boils. Off the heat, and added a little at a time, it blends into a smooth, creamy sauce.
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes, and it is a lot less washing. Thaw 1 1/3 lb, skip the blanching and blend it with its liquid.
What do I serve it with?
Basmati rice or a warm naan or roti. It also stretches nicely with a can of chickpeas stirred in with the spinach.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 90
- Protein
- (30%)
- 7 g
- Fat
- (53%)
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- (17%)
- 5 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 192 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1398 kcal goes into the pot and 1824 g of ingredients comes out as about 1550 g of food: 90 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.