When we lived in New England, the winters were pretty rough. There were long stretches of time when the earth was covered with snow, all the trees were bare, no sun shone, and the wind screamed. It was cold, dark, and damp. Needless to say, the weather was a major factor in our move to sunny Arizona.
But we had all sorts of tricks for making those winter months palatable — dinners with friends by the fireplace in our kitchen, movies in the theater (especially films set in Italy or other sunny places), and occasional brief escapes to warmer climes.
Sometimes, however, we simply went to our favorite Indian restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for an evening of comfort food. It was a family-run establishment, and dining there made the cold and damp disappear, even if for just a couple of hours.
I always wanted to try the Palak Paneer, but couldn’t because it contained garlic. It is such a beautiful green color, and I envied those who could order it. I have created my own version now and even make homemade goat milk paneer (recipe to come). What could be better? My green envy turned to green happiness.
~ David
Palak Paneer
Click icon below to print the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh baby spinach
- 3/4 pound tomatoes, quartered and seeded
- 1 inch ginger, finely grated
- 1 jalapeño chile, diced
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup water or as needed
- 3/4-1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
- large pinch ground fenugreek
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 12 ounces paneer (can be purchased in Indian grocery stores)
- lemon juice to taste
- steamed rice, roti, or naan for serving
Instructions
- Wash spinach well in a colander; do not dry. Transfer spinach with water droplets to a large skillet and cook, covered, over medium heat until wilted. This will take just a few minutes. Place the cooked spinach in a blender with the tomato, grated ginger, and jalapeño, leaving excess water in the skillet. Purée to a smooth paste and set aside.
- Wipe out the skillet, but there is no need to wash it. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet over medium heat, and add the chopped onions. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Return the puréed spinach and 1/2 cup water to the skillet. (Do not clean out the blender.) Stir the mixture, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid sticking. Stir in the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, Kashmiri chile powder, fenugreek, and salt, and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer the spinach mixture back to the blender and purée until smooth. (Do not clean the skillet.) Add the heavy cream to the spinach and pulse a few times to mix, making sure the mixture is very smooth.
- Return puréed spinach mixture to the skillet, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- In a separate large, nonstick skillet, add the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Cut paneer into approximately 1-inch cubes and add to the skillet; cook until golden-brown on one side, turn and cook the other side till golden-brown. (You only brown two sides.) Add the paneer to the spinach mixture and stir gently. Cook for 2 minutes, turn off heat and gently stir in lemon juice.
- Serve immediately with rice, roti, or naan.
- Serves 4.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Many of the ingredients today came from our local farmers market. Thanks to Fiore di Capra for the goat milk I used to make the paneer, Mustang Mountain Eggs for the beautiful spinach, Larry’s Veggies for the onion, and the Tomato Family for the juicy tomatoes.
Fran @ G'day Souffle
April 16, 2022 at 7:25 amThis looks like my kind of recipe, especially with the addition of the jalapeño chile. I didn’t know what paneer was so I had to look it up. Isn’t it great living in a sunny climate- don’t know how I’d cope with all the snow and cold weather!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 16, 2022 at 8:42 amI really need to get my paneer post ready to go. It’s so wonderful when homemade! I hope you try it, Fran!
John / Kitchen Riffs
April 16, 2022 at 7:52 amI love this dish! But have never made it for some reason. Always one of those restaurant things for me. Your version looks scrumptious. Such a gorgeous green. BTW, do you have _Lord Krishna’s Cuisine_? Pretty good vegetarian cookbook that, because it’s Vedic, doesn’t use garlic (or onions, for that matter) in any of the recipes. (Have I asked you this before? I’m thinking maybe so. Apologies if I have!) Anyway, good stuff — thanks.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 16, 2022 at 8:41 amThanks, John! The green is pretty beautiful, isn’t it? I don’t think you had mentioned this book before but Lord Krishna is now on his way to our front door! I often go to Hare Krishna restaurants because I know I can eat there without worry, I’m excited to see the recipes!
Margery Saunders
April 16, 2022 at 8:18 amI am so excited to try this recipe! Just curious, why would the tomatoes need to be seeded?
Cocoa & Lavender
April 16, 2022 at 8:38 amIt’s so good, Margery! The reason I take out the seeds is that they, plus the liquid around them, can add bitterness. I’m not fanatical about it — usually cutting in half and squeezing out works, which leaves some seeds in.
Chef Mimi
April 16, 2022 at 8:49 amI love this recipe. I love paneer. I love curry.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:07 amMe, too, Mimi — and I did discover that homemade paneer is the best, and worth the effort!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
April 16, 2022 at 10:19 amNever had this dish before, but I’m sure I would like it.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:08 amI think, knowing how adventurous your palate is, that you would love it, Karen!
Melissa
April 16, 2022 at 10:36 amI love Indian food, and palak paneer is one of my favorites. I’ll be giving this a whirl–though I want to wait for your paneer recipe, David.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:08 amMissy — definitely worth making your own paneer! I will ry to get the recipe posted soon but will send via email once I get it written up!
John
April 16, 2022 at 2:34 pmPaneer is wonderful in curries and quite versatile. Palak paneer is almost always ordered when we’re out for an Indian meal. Have you tried grilling it? I love the caramelised bits!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:10 amI have not grilled paneer, John — does it grill similarly to haloumi? Must try it! I was amazed at how well it caramelized in the skillet!
Eha
April 16, 2022 at 4:55 pm*grin* Have not seen snow in over 40 years and HATE when the sun goes down by 5pm mid-winter ! Hmm ! Love your palak paneer recipe which is a wee different from my standard on e – shall definitely try . . . am out of fenugreek and shall buy the paneer as it is widely available everywhere ! Watched a local ‘paddock to plate’ cooking show last night with a demonstration of how easy the ever-popular halloumi was to make at home – may just attempt that also ! Easter Sunday morning here – here’s hoping you will experience a great day when it gets there !!!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:11 amHappy Easter, Eha. I image the paneer you can buy is probably better than what we get in Tucson. That is why I make my own. 🙂 I hope you like this!
Inger
April 16, 2022 at 8:17 pmSo does this mean you have a local source of goat’s milk? Now I can’t wait for the sequel!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:12 amYes, one of our market vendors (Fiore di Capra) carries the milk in season. It is ridiculously good.
Gerlinde
April 16, 2022 at 9:04 pmDavid, I have never attempted to do anything like this but I love the spinach sauce. I am going to make this soon. I remember the dark and cold winter days in Germany.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:13 amIt is really so easy, Gerlinde, especially if you buy the paneer!
Gloria Roa Baker
April 16, 2022 at 11:31 pmLooks delicious David!! Happy Easter dear!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:14 amThanks, Gloria — to you, as well! Any big plans?
Sippitysup
April 17, 2022 at 5:31 amA bowl of bright green goodness on a gray winters day. I’m not surprised you have held onto that memory. It looks wonderful. GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 8:15 amI do love how memories of food come back to us all the time… such a rich and flavorful history!
Ronit Penso Tasty Eats
April 17, 2022 at 9:05 amGlad you managed to create your own garlic-free version of this tasty dish. Your spinach sauce looks so velvety and tasty.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 17, 2022 at 10:00 amThanks, Ronit! I thought about adding asafetida (hing), but it didn’t need it!
Sherry M
April 18, 2022 at 6:12 pmhow very green! so you can’t eat garlic? that is a tragedy of the highest order david. garlic is from the gods:)
Cocoa & Lavender
April 22, 2022 at 6:18 amNo tragedy at all, Sherry! Bigger tragedies would be no tomatoes, no dairy, no gluten (no pasta!), no nuts, no olives, no soy, no chocolate, no fish/seafood, no wine. To me, those are tragedies. Garlic I’d one minor flavor amongst the thousands of others…
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
April 20, 2022 at 5:02 amYum! Palek paneer is actually my favorite Indian dish. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of Indian food in general, but I can’t get enough of this dish. Something about that creamy spinach and of course the paneer mixed in… delicious!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 22, 2022 at 6:20 amIt is a perfect comfort dish, Frank. It is funny that my two favorite cuisines are Italian and Indian — as they are truly opposite I’m many ways. But they are both such comfort to us.
Pauline
April 20, 2022 at 10:55 pmI have a little Hare Krishna cookbook tucked away on my bookshelf somewhere:) that I bought at a Krishna foodstall on the Sunshine Coast years ago, I’ll have to hunt it down. I’ll look out for this dish when we eat out at Indian next time. Your recipe looks great and yes green is beautiful. I’ll look forward to your paneer recipe. Thanks for sharing this one.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 22, 2022 at 6:21 amThe paneer is really quite simple, Pauline. I will try to post it soon.
I am loving my new Hare Krishna book — so many flavors!
Jeff the Chef
April 24, 2022 at 8:39 amI love Indian food! I love all those saucy sauces that you can just dip up with bread. I could eat that stuff forever! I don’t know if I’ve ever had polite paneer though. Sounds fantastic!
David Scott Allen
April 28, 2022 at 7:16 amI’m glad we both love Indian cuisine. To me, it is one of the most complex and wonderful in the world. I hope you get to try the Palak paneer soon, Jeff. I think you’ll like it!
Valentina
April 25, 2022 at 8:06 pmThis certainly does not look like it’s missing garlic. SO rich and creamy and beautiful. I want to try it for sure 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
April 28, 2022 at 7:18 amHonestly, Valentina, no one would ever notice it’s missing! 🙂
Raymund
April 27, 2022 at 8:11 pmDefinitely, one of my favourite curries are done with paneer, this is nothing different. Love its texture and mild flavour that absorbs all of that curry sauce. Yum!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 28, 2022 at 7:20 amIt really is a great combination of flavors and textures! Thanks, Raymund!
2pots2cook
April 28, 2022 at 2:24 amThis one is so much tastier than those made with mustard greens! Great presentation David !
Cocoa & Lavender
April 28, 2022 at 7:20 amWow, Davorka — I have never heard of one made with mustard greens! Is that traditional?