Palak paneer is one of my favorite vegetable entrees that my Grandma would make. It was predominantly spinach with Indian cottage cheese, but she would use a variety of seasonal greens that would add more depth.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby spinach leaves
- 8 ounces fenugreek leaves, finely chopped
- 8 ounces mustard greens, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated garlic plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 green Thai chiles
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped, plus 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup besan or chickpea flour
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pound paneer cubes, cut into triangles, similar in size to a large dice
- Pinch dried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
- Fill a large Dutch oven with water and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves, fenugreek leaves, mustard greens, grated garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, salt, green chiles and roughly chopped onion. Cover with the lid and boil until cooked, about 5 minutes. Strain the greens, keeping the water, then add the greens to a blender. Blend the greens to a coarse paste, adding a little water if required to move things along in the blender.
- Add the butter to a large Dutch oven and heat over medium-low heat until melted. Add the besan and cook on low heat until it starts turning brown and into a thick roux, about 3 minutes. Add the greens to this mixture and mix well. Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Heat the ghee in a medium saute pan over medium heat until hot and melted. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to sizzle, then add the remaining onion, chopped ginger and chopped garlic and saute until golden, about 3 minutes. Add half of the onion mixture to the greens pot. To the rest of the onion mixture, add the paneer triangles and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Season with the dried fenugreek leaves.
- Add the greens mixture to a serving dish and top with the paneer.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 466 |
| Total Fat | 34 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 23 grams |
| Cholesterol | 102 milligrams |
| Sodium | 306 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 20 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 grams |
| Sugar | 7 grams |
| Protein | 25 grams |
Reviews
Excellent dish; even family members that swear they “need meat” love it!
Now this is a authentic recipe!!