Palak Paneer | Saag Paneer

It’s winter season, and it’s officially SAAG (Green leafy vegetables) season in India. Palak Paneer, Sarso Saag, Palak-Sarso Saag, Methi Aloo, and many more in the list.

Palak Paneer is one of the popular North Indian curries which is loved by all. This is one of those dishes which is tasty and healthy too. 😉 Palak Paneer is one such dish which has fan all across the globe. I have seen people here in California, enjoying Palak Paneer or Saag Paneer as they call it, more than we Indians do. It is because of the creamy, thick, mildly spiced taste and of course, it is healthy.

Why you should eat Palak Paneer?

It is nutritious, it is delicious, and it is super easy to cook. Fresh palak is in the season and you will see it in abundance in the stores. It’s an absolutely perfect meal for weekdays. Do you need more reasons to cook this scrumptious dish? Of course, NO!

If there is any leftover from the palak curry, use it while cooking chicken curry the next day. 😉

I never cook palak paneer at home by myself, as somehow I never like the taste of a few dishes which I cook myself. No matter what I do, they never turn out to be great. And, I happily accept that fact! 😀 Now the question is, then who cooked this Palak Paneer??? Well, there is one more great cook in the house, my husband. 😉 He cooks delicious food. ❤

Isn’t it true that everybody has their own style of cooking the same recipe? So do my husband. And he looks the same dish in so many ways that I am just amazed by his this skill. Even though I cook the same dish in many ways but he can make it taste totally different and delicious. 😀

In this recipe, you can use homemade paneer or store bought paneer but, if you have time in hand and then make your fresh paneer at home. It will surely enhance the taste and flavor of the dish.

Suggestions:

• Fresh Or Frozen Palak, There is no reason to use frozen palak as you will get fresh palak leaves in the market. Eat what’s in the season, and Palak is IN the season.
• To Retain The Green Color, Once you blanch the palak leaves in boiling water, add in the ice-cold water immediately as it helps palak to retain green color. Taste while cooking palak and once it is cooked, immediately turn off the flame. DO NOT ADD ARTIFICIAL COLOR to make it green.
• Paneer, After cutting the paneer keep them in lukewarm water if you are using store bought paneer. This helps paneer to become soft and not chewy & hard. You can even pan fry the paneer cubes before adding to the palak.
•  Cream Or Milk, Adding cream or Milk is your choice. If you feel the curry is bitter then feel free to add the fresh cream. Or you can even add cashew paste while cooking the masala.

Serve Palak Paneer with Naan or any Indian flatbread or steamed rice. Have a happy weekend! ❤

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Bunch of fresh palak leaves
• 16 cubes of paneer
• ¼ Cup grated paneer
• 1 Large, finely chopped
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 3 Green chilies
• 1 Tbsp garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Dry red chili
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 2 Green cardamom pods
• 2 Cloves
• 1 ½ Tsp coriander powder
• ½ Tsp garam masala
• ¼ Tsp turmeric powder
• Salt as required
• 1 Tbsp mustard oil
• 1 Tsp ghee/ butter

Learn Step By Step Recipe With Pictures For Palak Paneer | Saag Paneer

Recipe:

Step 1- Thorougly wash the palak with running tap water and make sure there is no sand left in the leaves. Fill a large pot with water and add palak leaves. Bring it to a boil for 2-3mins. Meanwhile, add ice cubes on another large pot and fill it with cold water. Add the blanched palak leaves to the ice-cold water immediately

Step 2- Transfer the leaves to a blender jar with green chilies and puree them

Step 3- Heat oil in a pan, and saute whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamoms, and dry red chili for 30secs. Add chopped onion and cook on medium flame until they turn translucent and soft

Step 4- Add coriander powder, garam masala, and turmeric powder, mix well. Cook for 2minutes with the flame on the medium-low side and then add the finely chopped ginger-garlic. Cook until the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away

Step 5- Add chopped tomatoes and required salt. Cover and cook until the tomato turns mushy and starts leaving oil from the sides

Step 6- Add the pureed palak and keep stirring for a minute. Cover the pan and cook for 8-10mins or until the palak is cooked

Step 7- Once the palak is cooked, add ghee or butter. You can add cream here if you want. Lastly, add the paneer cubes and let it simmer for another 2mins. Turn off the flame, let it cool down and garnish with grated paneer, serve

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