Palak Paneer (Indian Fresh Spinach With Paneer Cheese)

Sue Lau's Note:

Creamy and rich, a delight to eat. A dish I fell in love with at a local restaurant and adapted a recipe to closely resemble theirs.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 (5 ounce) bags baby spinach
• 1 large onion
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon chopped garlic
• ½ cup chopped tomato
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces paneer cheese , cut into cubes
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Cut spinach into shreds and cook in 3 tablespoons water until tender; remove from heat.
2. Saute onion, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger in 1-2 tablespoons ghee or oil until onion is translucent.
3. Then add garlic and chopped tomatoes, and reduce heat.
4. Cook this briefly and slowly blend in yogurt a little at a time to prevent curdling.
5. Add coriander, garam masala, paprika, and salt, mixing well.
6. Add cooked spinach with liquid, cover and simmer on low heat for approximately 20-30 minutes.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Take half of spinach mixture and puree in food processor or blender, and return to mixture and stir.
9. Slowly stir in heavy cream, and heat through on low heat.
10. Add paneer cubes.
11. Serve.

Reviews

[adopt a greyhound]

I made half a recipe for the two of us and it was great. Loved all the flavors and how they meld together. I made homemade paneer Homemade Paneer (Panir - Indian Cheese) to use in the recipe. Served with Best Ever Chicken Balti, Naan plus puppodums as an appetizer.

[spatchcock]

Fantastic recipe. I like this much better than our local Indian restaurant's palak paneer. I think I added a little more cream because I had to warm it longer at the end (I could only find frozen paneer.) I used normal spinach leaves, and it made it stringy so next time I'll be sure to find the baby spinach. I feel about twenty pounds overweight from dinner, but fiance and I really loved this. Thanks!!

[sleepigrl]

Not exactly what I was looking for, but still pretty tasty. I used whole coriander, and didn't care for the seeds/texture (my fault). Going to try this one again but adjust the spices a little. If you can't find the paneer, an excellent substitute is Mexican Queso Blanco (aka queso fresco) - the texture & taste is very similar.