PALAK PANEER

 PALAK PANEER

One of the most popular ingredients in Indian vegetarian cooking has to be paneer or cottage cheese. So many different types of dishes are prepared in various parts of India using paneer. These days paneer has become even more popular as it is commonly available in shops as compared to some decades ago when it was generally made at home- quite laboriously, I may add. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with Paneer, such as:- 

• Paneer Khurchan
• Paneer Methi Bhurjee
• Paneer Payesh

Spinach or palak as it is called in Hindi has many health benefits, as we all know.

Today's recipe combines both these ingredients and is called Palak Paneer. It goes great with rice and rotis. I have made different versions of this popular dish in the past. Today, I have adapted this from Palak Paneer in Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana. 

I am sure you will enjoy this as much as we do.

Ingredients:-

• Palak (Spinach),  2  bunches of medium size
• Paneer, (Cottage Cheese), 250- 300 gms
• Large -sized Onion, 1
• Green Chilli, 1 or 2
• Jeera (Cumin Seeds), 1 tsp
• Garlic, chopped, 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Kasuri Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves), Powder, a large pinch
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp

Method:-

Cut the paneer into 1 " cubes

Peel and chop the garlic cloves

Chop the onion and green chilli

Remove the palak leaves from their stems and wash them thoroughly 

Blanch the palak leaves by first immersing them in sufficient boiling water and after 1 minute transferring them to a bowl of ice cold water

Drain the palak leaves and place in a mixer jar

Add chopped green chilli and 1/2 cup of water and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and on medium heat add the cumin seeds

When they sizzle, add the chopped onion  and sauté till it becomes translucent

Next add the chopped garlic, mix well and cook for 1 minute

To this add the freshly prepared palak-chilli ground paste, mix well and cook for 2 minutes

Add salt to taste, and garam masala powder

Gently mix in the paneer cubes and cook for 1 minute

Now add the finely crushed kasuri methi  and cook for another minute

Switch off the gas and transfer to serving bowl

Serve the Palak Paneer with rotis or jeera rice or fried rice