Palak Paneer recipe | Baby Spinach Paneer recipe

Palak Paneer is a north Indian recipe famous in Indian Restaurants. Kids love paneer in any form. Making kids eat spinach/greens is always a big challenge for mommies. But kids will love this less spicy & creamy Palak Paneer recipe. Paneer will be an extra bait to eat this spinach recipe.

I have used baby spinach in this recipe. You shall use the same or replace it with Palak(Indian spinach), or Pasalai(Malabar Spinach). But, Palak is the original ingredient of this recipe. The traditional Palak Paneer recipe is slightly different, but my version is easier & more kids friendly recipe. I have given tips to match the traditional recipe in the Notes section(bottom of the post), just check if interested.

Palak Paneer Recipe / Spinach Paneer Recipe:

Palak Paneer recipe | Baby Spinach Paneer recipe

 

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Ingredients

To cook & grind:

• Oil or butter - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds/Jeera - ½ tsp
• Onion - 1
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Green chilli – 1 big or 2 small
• Whole cashews - 5 to 10
• Tomato - 1
• Ginger - A small piece
• Salt - ½ tsp or as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
• Baby Spinach - 1 Pack or Palak - 1 bunch (150g)
• Fresh curd to grind - 1 heaped tbsp

For gravy

• Butter - 1 or 2 tbsp
• Bay leaf - ½
• Brown Sugar - 1 tsp
• Paneer cubes - 1 or 2 cups
• Garam Masala - ¼ tsp
• Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp

Instructions

1. If using Palak, remove the stem parts from the leaves and just use the leaves. Wash the leaves twice or thrice until the washed water is clear.
2. Peel the skin and cut onion, garlic & ginger. Heat a tbsp of butter or oil and once hot, add jeera. Before jeera darkens (if it darkens it will turn bitter), add onion, garlic, green chillies, raw whole cashews and fry just till onion turns translucent. Do not fry too much making onions turn brown as it might give bitter taste.
3. Add chopped tomato, ginger, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy.
4. Add washed spinach/palak leaves and fry for a minute till the leaves shrink. Sprinkle lil water and cook open in medium flame for 7 mins until spinach is cooked well.
5. Once cooked, transfer to a plate and let it cool down.
6. Once cooled, add 1 tbsp curd and blend it in mixie to a smooth paste.
7. In a pan, add 1 or 2 tbsp butter in low flame. Once melted, add ½ bay leaf. After 5 seconds, add ½ tsp kasoori methi(don't let it burn) and in the next second add ground paste. Add ¼ cup water to mixie jar, rinse well & add it to the pan.
8. Add ¼ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp brown sugar or cane sugar and cook in low-medium flame.
9. Once it starts to boil, add paneer cubes and again ½ tsp kasoori Methi and let it boil for 3 mins in low-medium flame.
10. If you haven't added curd while grinding, you can add ¼ cup milk or fresh cream, just after adding paneer & cook in low flame for 3 mins. Switch off and serve with chapathi/phulka(click here for Phulka video).

Notes

1.You shall reduce sugar to ½ tsp, if you don't prefer the sweetish taste.
2.You shall replace curd with fresh cream/ Malaai found on top of boiled milk. You should either add curd or milk/cream and not both.
3.If you have roasted cashews, you shall add it once spinach leaves are wilted & let cashews cook along with spinach.
4.You shall replace whole cashews with soaked & peeled Almonds.
5.Click hereto see how to make homemade Paneer. After squeezing excess water, just place the towel in a plate and press the towel (without opening the potli) to shape the paneer. Place another plate over the towel and keep a weight on the plate. You can use Mortar and pestle or just fill a vessel with water and place on the plate. Leave it for 4 hours. Then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight and then cut into squares. You can use it fresh or refrigerate the pieces and use within 3 days.
6.To match the taste of traditional Palak Paneer recipe: Skip onion & tomato while cooking greens. In butter, after bay leaf, add onion. Once onion starts to change color, add tomato, pinch turmeric powder. Once tomato turns mushy, add kasoori methi and ground stuff and follow the same procedure.
7.Click hereto see the post with stepwise pics of my plain Spinach mash recipe that goes well with rice.

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Preparation – How to make Palak Paneer / Spinach Paneer?

1.If using Palak, remove the stem parts from the leaves and just use the leaves. Wash the leaves twice or thrice until the washed water is clear.

2.Peel the skin and cut onion, garlic & ginger. Heat a tbsp of butter or oil and once hot, add jeera. Before jeera darkens (if it darkens it will turn bitter), add onion, garlic, green chillies, raw whole cashews and fry just till onion turns translucent. Do not fry too much making onions turn brown as it might give bitter taste.

3.Add chopped tomato, ginger, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy.

4.Add washed spinach/palak leaves and fry for a minute till the leaves shrink. Sprinkle lil water and cook open in medium flame for 7 mins until spinach is cooked well.

5.Once cooked, transfer to a plate and let it cool down.

6.Once cooled, add 1 tbsp curd and blend it in mixie to a smooth paste.

7.In a pan, add 1 or 2 tbsp butter in low flame. Once melted, add 1/2 bay leaf. After 5 seconds, add 1/2 tsp kasoori methi(don’t let it burn) and in the next second add ground paste. Add 1/4 cup water to mixie jar, rinse well & add it to the pan.

8.Add 1/4 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp brown sugar or cane sugar and cook in low-medium flame.

9.Once it starts to boil, add paneer cubes and again 1/2 tsp kasoori Methi and let it boil for 3 mins in low-medium flame.

10.If you haven’t added curd while grinding, you can add 1/4 cup milk or fresh cream, just after adding paneer & cook in low flame for 3 mins. Switch off and serve with chapathi/phulka(click here for Phulka video).

Tips/Tricks in making Palak Paneer / Spinach Paneer:

• You shall reduce sugar to 1/2 tsp, if you don’t prefer the sweetish taste.
• You shall replace curd with fresh cream/ Malaai found on top of boiled milk. You should either add curd or milk/cream and not both.
• If you have roasted cashews, you shall add it once spinach leaves are wilted & let cashews cook along with spinach.
• You shall replace whole cashews with soaked & peeled Almonds.
• Click here to see how to make homemade Paneer. After squeezing excess water, just place the towel in a plate and press the towel (without opening the potli) to shape the paneer. Place another plate over the towel and keep a weight on the plate. You can use Mortar and pestle or just fill a vessel with water and place on the plate. Leave it for 4 hours. Then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight and then cut into squares. You can use it fresh or refrigerate the pieces and use within 3 days.
• To match the taste of traditional Palak Paneer recipe: Skip onion & tomato while cooking greens. In butter, after bay leaf, add onion. Once onion starts to change color, add tomato, pinch turmeric powder. Once tomato turns mushy, add kasoori methi and ground stuff and follow the same procedure.
• Click here to see the post with stepwise pics of my plain Spinach mash recipe that goes well with rice.