The secret to restaurant-bright palak paneer is to blanch the spinach quickly and shock it, then blend — this locks in the vivid green instead of the dull khaki you get from over-cooking. A short simmer at the end keeps everything fresh-tasting.
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) fresh spinach
- 250 g paneer, cubed
- 1 onion, finely chopped · 2 tomatoes, puréed
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste · 1–2 green chilies
- 1 tsp cumin seeds · 1 tsp garam masala · ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp oil/ghee · ¼ cup cream (optional)
Method
- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and plunge into cold water. Blend to a smooth purée with the green chilies.
- Optionally pan-fry the paneer cubes in a little oil until lightly golden, then set aside (soak in warm water to keep soft).
- Heat the oil, crackle the cumin seeds, then cook the onion until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste, then the tomato purée, turmeric and garam masala. Simmer until thick and the oil separates.
- Stir in the spinach purée and a splash of water. Simmer gently 4–5 minutes — don't overcook or it dulls.
- Add the paneer and cream, warm through for 2–3 minutes, season with salt, and serve with naan or rice.
🌿 Blanch, don't boil to death
One minute in boiling water then straight into cold water keeps the spinach a brilliant green. Long boiling turns palak paneer a sad brown.