Palak Paneer

Heres our version of  the delicious Palak Paneer aka cottage cheese in spinach curry sauce. This dish is a sure find in every Indian menu card and is rich in iron with the all the goodness coming from the spinach leaves and calcium from the cottage cheese. We have used homemade paneer for this recipe, so from start to end its a complete homemade meal.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

Spinach leaves (washed, blanched & pureed): 1 cup

Tomato (pureed): 1

Onion s(chopped): 1/4 cup

Green chillies: 2

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Coarinder powder: 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder: 1/2  teaspoon

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Kasoori Methi / Dried fenugreek leaves: 2 teaspoons

Milk/Cream: 1/3 cup

Paneer (cubed): 8-10 pcs

Oil to fry

Bay leaves: 1

Cradamom seed: 1

Cinnamon stick: 1

* You could fry the paneer cubes slightly before adding to the gravy to avoid it crumbling up. Or you could skip the frying bit and add the plain paneer cubes. If you are sauteeing the paneer, just rub the paneer in little salt, turmeric and chilli powder and saute in little oil. Another thing is if you leave these fried paneer for a long time in room temperature, it will become hard and rubbery. So immediately after frying, let  it sit in 1/4 cup warm water. You could add this water with the paneer back into gravy.

Wash the spinach leaves. Immerse in 1/2 cup boiling water for 2 mins. Drain and puree the spinach leaves into a smooth paste.

In a deep pan, heat some oil. Add the bay leaves, cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. Add the ginger garlic paste. Add the chopped onions and saute until slightly golden. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder. Add the tomato puree and mix well. Now add the spinach puree and let everything simmer on low heat. Adjust the salt and spices. When the spinach is fully cooked, add the crushed kasoori methi. Finally add the paneer cubes. Add milk/cream and mix well.

Palak paneer is ready to be served.