Palak Paneer

Palak paneer is one of few dishes that possess the divine combination of energy and nutrition. With the goodness of juicy, leafy spinach, and power-packed paneer and cream, it can surely be one of the best whole meals around North India. And it is very easy to make palak paneer!

Similar to the Shahi paneer, the tomato gravy is now replaced by a spinach gravy in the palak paneer recipe. The Shahi Paneer and Palak Paneer recipe, both hail from the Indian Subcontinent have been relished for generations.

So, if the creamy texture of this dish has triggered your craving for comfort food, grab yourself this healthy delicacy from a casserole and enjoy!

This recipe serves about 4 people and takes less than an hour to make.

Health Benefits :

A normal 125 ml serving of palak paneer contains about 180 calories. It consists of 13g fats, 10g carbs and 6g protein. It is also a rich source of iron and a decent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and calcium.

Spinach is a rich source of dietary fibre, which helps weight management and it also contains antioxidants, which helps the body to detox. Paneer, on the other hand, is full of casein protein, which helps stimulate digestion and is rich in calcium.

Ingredients

gm fresh spinach (palak): 250

green chilli: 2

cloves of garlic, finely chopped: 2

medium tomato – chopped fine: 1

inch ginger - roughly chopped: 1/2

cups water for blanching palak: 3

cups ice cold water: 3

finely chopped medium onions: 1

finely chopped tomato: 1

cloves garlic--finely chopped: 5

tsp cumin seeds: 1/2

tsp turmeric powder: 1/4

tsp red chilli: 1/2

tbsp cream: 2

oil: 2 tbsp

dried fenugreek leaves (kasurimethi): 1 tsp

salt to taste

How To Make Palak Paneer

1. Blanch spinach in boiling water for 1 minute.
2. Drain the water and put the blanched spinach in ice cold water for 2 minutes.
3. Transfer spinach to a blender and add ginger and green chilies. Then blend until smooth.
4. Cut the paneer into cubes.
5. Heat up oil in a deep fry pan and fry paneer.
6. Put the fried paneer in water for 5 minutes to softenits texture.
7. Heat some oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and let it crackle.
8. Add bay leaf and chopped onions and saute until onion softens.
9. Add garlic and cook until it becomes aromatic.
10. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, hing, red chilli and salt to taste.
11. Take the blended spinach and add to the pan.
12. Stir to combine well and add water.
13. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes before adding garam masala.
14. Gently stir well before adding paneer to it. Let paneer cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
15. Lastly add the cream and stir well to combine.
16. Remove from heat and serve with roti or other Indian breads.

Packing this for your lunch or your kid's lunch? Mack sure you pack them in an insulated lunch kit or in your kid's lunch box

Trivia :

Spinach is native to Persia (present day Iran). It made its way into China in the 7^th century and Europe in 12^th century.

Popeye the sailor helped increase consumption of spinach in the United States by a third!