Quick Palak Paneer (Cheese in Spinach gravy) is a favorite dish at my home and it is a hearty and popular dish. Growing up we never made this dish at home using spinach. I started making this dish a few years ago. My kids loved it, as it had their all-time favorite paneer(Indian cheese or farmers' cheese). It is also the best way to get them to have spinach . Since then, I have made it very often.
Why you will love this dish?
- It is very easy to make and can be done pretty quickly.
- Needs very few ingredients and they are usually found in your pantry.
- A delicious side dish that can go with any main dish like naan, roti, or rice.
- You can skip cream or butter in this recipe to make it light and it will still taste good.
Ingredients needed
- spinach
- tomato to give a little sourness
- onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies
- cumin, asafoetida
- ghee(clarified butter) or oil
- salt
- Spices - turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilly powder, garam masala
- fresh cream(optional)
How to make Quick Palak Paneer?
The preparation is very simple, boil the spinach and tomatoes with other ingredients in water and grind it to a paste, temper it with oil, and finally add cheese. The detailed steps are below. Hope you enjoy making and relishing it as much!
Add about a cup of water and boil it in a pan. To this add tomatoes, onions, green chillies, garlic, and ginger. Boil it with the lid closed for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the contents are cooked well. Next, add spinach, and cook for another few minutes. Cool it and grind it to a smooth paste in a blender.
Next in a deep-bottomed pan, heat oil or ghee and add the cumin seeds. Add a pinch of asafoetida, reduce the flame, and add all the spice powders. To this add the spinach paste and cook for about a few minutes. Add salt and water to adjust and get the desired consistency. Finally, add the cubed paneer (farmers' cheese) and simmer till the cheese is mildly soft. Switch off the flame. If you are using fresh cream you can add it in the end to get a rich flavor. This is optional . Serve with rice or wheat bread.
Quick Palak Paneer
Ingredients
- 2 bunches spinach
- 1 big tomato
- ½ onion diced
- 2 pods garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 2-3 green chillies (add more to increase spice level
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetida
- 3-4 tsp oil or ghee(clarified butter)
- salt
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri chilly powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp fresh cream (optional)
Instructions
- Take a pan, add about a cup of water
- Add the tomatoes, onions, green chillies, garlic and ginger to it .Boil it with the lid closed for about 10 to 15 mins or until the contents are cooked well.
- Add spinach and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, do not cook more else you will lose the green color of the gravy.
- Cool it and grind it to a smooth paste in a blender.
- Next in a deep bottomed pan , heat oil or ghee and add the cumin seeds.
- Add a pinch of asafoetida, reduce the flame and add all the spice powders
- To this add the spinach paste and cook for about 3 to 4 mins
- Add salt. Add water to adjust and get the desired consistency
- Finally , add the cubed paneer (farmers cheese) and simmer till the cheese is mildly soft .Switch off the flame. That is it!!
- If you are using fresh cream you can add it in the end to get a rich flavor.This is optional.
- Serve with rice or wheat bread. Enjoy 🙂
Nutrition
Palak paneer is one of my favourite curries.. I used to make paneer dishes with tofu when I was vegan, but after trying the real I know there's no comparison. Your version looks like a very good recipe!
Sorry for the late reply, somehow your message went to my spam folder. Thank you for the comment, you are absolutely right, the Paneer has a totally different taste and texture!
Well explained.
one of my favs! 🙂
Mine too 🙂 Thanks !
Sounds delicious!
Thank you so much!