Curry

Palak Paneer

Name: Palak Paneer
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g fresh spinach (palak), stems removed; 250 g paneer, cut into 2 cm cubes; 3 tbsp oil; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (1 tbsp for a fuller base); 6 cashews; 1 medium tomato, seeds removed, chopped; 0.5 tsp cumin powder; 0.5 tsp red chilli powder (Kashmiri for colour); 1 tsp coriander powder; 0.5 tsp garam masala (held back to finish); 0.8 tsp fine sea salt, to taste (starting point); 1 green chilli, slit (optional); 1 tbsp kasoori methi, crushed (optional, recommended); 2 tbsp cream, to finish (optional); 125 ml water, to adjust

The secret to a palak paneer that actually tastes of spinach is a vivid green purée and a properly built base — blanch and shock the leaves for colour, take the onions all the way to golden for depth, and keep the cooking short once the spinach goes in. No turmeric, by design, to keep the green.

45 minServes 4 mild–medium

Method

Blanch and shock the spinach. Boil a large pot of water and ready a bowl of ice water. Drop in the spinach for 45 seconds until just wilted and bright green, then plunge straight into the ice water. This shock is what sets the vivid green — don't skip it. Drain and squeeze out excess water.
Purée the spinach. Blend the shocked spinach (with the slit green chilli if using) to a smooth purée. Set aside — it goes in near the end to protect the colour.
Fry the paneer. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium-high. Fry the paneer cubes until just pale gold on a couple of sides, then slip into a bowl of warm lightly-salted water — this keeps the paneer soft instead of rubbery.
Build the onion base. In the same pan add the remaining oil and cook the onion over medium heat for 12 minutes until soft and lightly golden — not just translucent. This is the foundation; rushing it is the main reason home palak tastes flat.
Aromatics and cashews. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cashews; fry 2 minutes until the raw smell goes and the cashews soften.
Bloom the spices. Push to one side and bloom the cumin powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder in the oil for 45 seconds until fragrant — in the fat, before the tomato, so the aromas carry. The garam masala is not added here; it's held back for the finish.
Cook to bhuna, then blend. Add the tomato with a pinch of the salt. Cook 6 minutes until the tomato breaks down and the oil glistens at the edges (bhuna). Cool slightly, then blend to a fine paste.
Combine — briefly. Return the paste to the pan, fry 3 minutes , then lower the heat and stir in the spinach purée with most of the remaining salt. Cook just 2–3 minutes — long enough to marry, short enough to stay green. Loosen with the water to your preferred consistency.
Finish and rest. Crush in the kasoori methi if using, stir through the cream for a rounder finish, then add the garam masala off the heat. Drain and fold in the paneer, warm through for 5 minutes . Taste, adjust salt, rest 5 minutes and serve.

Cook's notes. No turmeric, by design, to keep the colour green. The optional additions (green chilli, kasoori methi, cream) take it from a lean version to a rounder restaurant-style finish. Failure modes: (1) Dull colour — missed ice bath or over-cooked spinach purée (keep step 8 under 3 minutes). (2) Flat, raw taste — under-cooked onion or spices not bloomed. (3) Rubbery paneer — too-hard frying or skipping the warm-water soak.

The story

Palak paneer's popularity as a North Indian restaurant staple took off in the 1960s and 70s when spinach cultivation expanded across the Punjab. Before that the dish was typically made with sarson (mustard greens), which requires a much longer cooking time. The lighter spinach version became the blueprint that spread internationally.