Palak Paneer
Silky spinach curry, seared paneer and garlic-ginger-cumin base.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
Blanch-and-shock the spinach instead of just wilting it - that's how you get the bright kelly-green color instead of murky brown. Skipping this step is why home palak paneer looks sad.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 12 ozpaneercubed 3/4 inch
- 12 ozfresh spinachstems trimmed
- 1 mediumyellow onionfinely diced
- 4garlic clovesminced
- 1 tbspfresh gingerminced
- 1green chili (serrano)slit lengthwise
- ⅓ cupheavy cream
- 2 tbspghee
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 tspgaram masala
- ½ tspground turmeric
- 1 tspkasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)crushed between palms
- ½lemonfor squeezing
- 1½ cupsbasmati ricerinsed
- 1¼ tspkosher salt
- 2¼ cupswater
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 440calories
- 22gprotein
- 28gcarbs
- 28gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Cube paneer into 3/4-inch pieces.
- Finely dice onion. Mince garlic and ginger. Slit the green chili.
- Trim tough stems from spinach.
- Rinse basmati.
Rice
Combine rice with water and salt. Bring to boil, cover, simmer low 15 min, off heat 10.
25 min · hands offBlanch spinach
Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop spinach in for 60 sec, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain, squeeze dry.
3 min · hands onSear paneer
Heat ghee in skillet over medium-high. Sear paneer cubes 2 min per side until golden on at least 2 faces. Transfer to a plate.
4 min · hands onAromatics
In the same skillet add remaining ghee. Add onion and 1/2 tsp salt, cook 5 min. Add garlic, ginger, green chili - cook 1 min. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric - toast 30 sec.
7 min · hands onBlend
Transfer the aromatic base and squeezed spinach to a blender with 1/2 cup water. Pulse to a coarse puree (don't liquefy - you want texture). Return to skillet.
2 min · hands onFinish
Simmer puree 3 min. Stir in cream, garam masala, kasuri methi, and remaining salt. Add seared paneer, simmer 3 min more. Squeeze lemon, taste, adjust salt.
6 min · hands onServe
Plate palak paneer over rice.
1 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Press tofu 10 min, cube, pan-fry same as paneer.
Warm naan 1 min per side in dry skillet.
Saute cauliflower rice 4 min with salt. Saves about 10 minutes.
Sub coconut cream for heavy cream; tofu for paneer.
What keeps
Keeps 4 days; freezes 2 months. Reheats well - cream rounds out.
Make rice fresh per meal.
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