I had been craving for some Palak Paneer for a few weeks now when I chanced upon this recipe on Facebook from Chef Sanjyot Keer of Your Food Lab. The recipe was intriguing enough to tempt me and when I chanced upon some spinach over the weekend, I knew it was time to try this recipe. This is very different from the usual recipe that I make which is inspired by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe which is very simple. This one is slightly more complicated, but was super delicious and was a hit at home!

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

• 2 big bunches spinach or palak, chopped
• 1 big cup frozen paneer (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)
• 1 big pod of garlic, grated or chopped finely
• 1 large onion, cut in half and then sliced vertically
• 4-5 green chillies
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup beaten yoghurt
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp black or pink salt
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

• Take a large pan and boil water in it. When the water is boiling, blanch the spinach in it for 2-3 minutes and remove. Soak it in a large bowl of iced water for a  few minutes before removing and draining the water. This preserves the lovely green colour of the spinach.
• When the spinach is cool, blend it with the green chillies and coriander leaves into a smooth paste and keep aside.
• In another pan, heat the ghee and when warm, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
• Then add the chopped or grated garlic and let it saute for a few minutes.
• Next, add the sliced onions and let the onions slightly brown.
• When the onions start to brown, add the cumin powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix well. Then add the black or pink salt and season with salt.
• Now add the beaten yoghurt and mix well. Let the masala cook well and the ghee start to leave the sides of the pan.
• Then add the spinach puree and let the palak cook well. When the spinach starts to bubble, add the paneer pieces and let it cook for a few more minutes.
• Now gently sprinkle the wholewheat flour a bit by bit and let it get absorbed into the gravy. This is to thicken the gravy.
• Lastly, sprinkle the garam masala and the lemon juice and switch off the gas. Serve hot with Indian flatbreads or jeera rice.
• You can also add fresh cream as the last step before adding the garam masala and the lemon juice as well as a  garnish. I didn’t have cream at home and omitted this step.