Palak Paneer Recipe | Spinach Paneer
Palak Paneer is one of my favourite dishes ever since I was a child and now it is my children’s favourite as well. The star of the dish is the creamy sauce, which is prepared by steaming spinach, pureed and simmered along with subtle spices and cottage cheese (paneer). It is a simple but absolutely irresistible dish that will satisfy all the taste buds.
To prepare a perfect palak paneer, it should not be undercooked as it could cause stomach upset as well as bitter gravy. To retain the green colour of spinach sometimes it is balanced. But in this process spinach losses its nutrients. Spinach is rich in iron, approximately 2.6 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, In spinach, the iron content is non-haem iron. This isn’t absorbed as easily by the body. Adding chopped tomato by removing seeds helps with iron absorption, so boil your spinach with foods containing a lot of vitamin C, like capsicum or tomatoes. So the spinach curry will be delicious without losing its nutritious value. Along with the richness of protein in the paneer and Iron, Vitamins and minerals in the spinach, it makes it a wholesome, healthy and low-fat dish.
Serve the Palak Paneer along with hot Roti, or Phulkas and Jeera rice for a delicious lunch or dinner.
Spinach Nutrition – Cooked
1 cup (180g) DV – Daily Value%
Calories – 41, Total Fat – 0.5g 1%, Saturated Fat – 0.1g 0%, Trans Fat – 0g, Cholesterol – 0mg 0%, Sodium – 126mg 5%, Total Carbohydrate – 6.8g 2%, Dietary Fiber – 4.3g 15%, Total Sugars – 0.8g 2%, Protein – 5.3g 11%, Vitamin C – 17.6mg 20%, Vitamin D – 0μg 0%, Iron – 6.4mg 36%, Calcium – 244.8mg 19%, Potassium – 838.8mg 18%, Phosphorus – 100.8mg 8%
Spinach Benefits:
Spinach is a superfood. It is loaded with tons of nutrients in a low-calorie package. Dark, leafy greens like spinach are important for skin, hair, and bone health. They also provide protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals. When you eat spinach that has been boiled, you will absorb higher levels of vitamins A and E, protein, fiber, zinc, thiamin, calcium, and iron. Important carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, also become more absorbable.
1 – Lowers blood pressure levels:
Spinach is very useful in lowering blood pressure by inhibiting the angiotensin 1- converting enzyme, peptides and nitrates. Spinach has various other benefits like – In the treatment of hypertension, Reduction in heart diseases, Widen blood vessels and promotes blood flow.
2 – Help with Weight loss:
Spinach may suppress hunger, it is shown by many studies. It also is seen that woman eating spinach decreased their urge of eating sweets by 95%. As spinach is low in calories, high in fibre content which will ultimately help in good digestion and preventing constipation. It will also curb overeating by making you feel full. We can now imagine the benefits of spinach for weight loss. You can add spinach to your everyday diet and it will help you in multiple ways.
3 – Boosts Immunity:
Vitamin A in spinach strengthens our body by protecting respiratory, urinary, mucous and intestinal tracts along with being a component of White blood cells to fight infection. A cup of spinach a day keeps you fit and healthy all day long.
4 – Anti-cancer:
Flavonoids are a phytonutrient with anti-cancer properties and spinach is full of flavonoids. Its work is to slow down cell division in skin cancer cells. Being a high source of zeaxanthin and carotenoids, It is also observed that eating spinach provides a shield against the occurrence of prostate cancer, mouth cancer and stomach cancer as it removes the free radicles from your body. As free radicles make your body more likely to get affected by cancer, spinach can prevent it.
5 – Healthy bones:
Vitamin K in spinach helps in maintaining bone health by promoting the synthesis of osteocalcin (the protein that maintains the density and strength of bones). Spinach is rich in calcium also and hence prevent osteoporosis. Low calcium intake results in rapid bone loss and high fracture rates. Spinach also helps in the building of muscle tissues and support collagen growth.
6 – Skin repair:
It is a universal fact that Vitamin A improves skin tone and Vitamin C plays a major role in repairing skin cells. So many nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants present in spinach helps in making your skin look radiant.
7 – Benefits of spinach for hair:
Promotes hair growth: For healthy hair growth, Vitamins B, C, E, Iron, potassium, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, etc are very useful and all of them are present in a rich amount in Spinach and Hence this leafy vegetable promotes hair growth.
8 – Anti-ageing benefits:
We know that free radicles damage our skin and spinach is full of antioxidants that destroy free radicles. Hence, spinach helps in maintaining the youth of your skin.
Spinach helps in Prevents Anaemia, Curing Acne, Fights hair fall, Beneficial for eyes, brain, skin, and so many more benefits.
Few more Paneer recipes on the blog are:
Course: – Lunch, Dinner
Prep Time: – 5 Minutes
Cooking time: – 15 Minutes
Total Time: – 20 Minutes
Servings: – 4 Peoples
Palak Paneer Video:
Palak Paneer Ingredients:
250 gms – Paneer (Cottage Cheese) – cut in 1″ size cubes
250 gms – Spinach leaves (Palak) 35-40 nos. big leaves
2 tablespoons – fresh Cream
2 nos. – medium size roughly chopped Onions
1 tablespoon – Clarified Butter (Ghee)
2 nos. – medium size chopped Tomatoes
1 inch sized chopped Ginger
5-7 nos. – Garlic cloves
2 nos. – green Chillies
6-7 nos. – Cashew nuts
2-3 tablespoons – Cooking oil
1 tablespoon – red Chilli powder
½ teaspoon – Coriander powder
1 teaspoon – Garam masala
1 tablespoon – Kasuri methi
½ teaspoon – Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon – Cumin powder (jeera)
2 nos. – small bay leaves
2 nos. – Cloves
1 inch – Cinnamon
1 no. – Cardamom
1/4 teaspoon – Shah jeera
Salt to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
Method for preparing Palak Paneer with step by step photos:
1 – To ensure that the spinach is adulterant-free, soak it in water and add a small pinch of salt. Then clean and wash spinach thoroughly.
2 – Take a large cooking pot, add 2 glass of water and 35 to 40 spinach leaves (Palak) with 2 nos. chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes only.
3 – After 5 minutes turn off the gas flame and allow it to little cool.
4 – Chope 4 to 5 spinach leaves and keep aside.
5 – Transfer the cooked spinach with chopped tomatoes in a strainer and pour some normal water over it for fast cooling down and when it reaches room temperature, then take a medium size mixer jar and add this cooked spinach with chopped tomatoes in it and blend it to a fine paste.
7 – Heat 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) in a kadhai or cooking pot and add cumin seeds, chopped onion, garlic cloves, chopped green chilli, chopped ginger and cashew nuts and roast it till it turns little golden brown. It takes 2 minutes.
8 – After 2 minutes turn off the gas flame and transfer these roasted spices to a mixer jar and when it reaches room temperature blend it to make a fine paste.
Frying Spices:
9 – Now heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a kadhai or cooking pot and add shah jeera, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and cardamom when it spread a nice aroma (it take a minute only) then add finely blended onions and other spices paste to it and cook for 1 minute.
10 – After a minute add red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste.
8 – When masala started to oozes out oil then add 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi and spinach paste then Cook for a minute (as spinach already cooked so no need to cook it more) just cook for a minute then add 2 tablespoons fresh cream and cook for another a minute.
9 – Add paneer cubes to palak and mix gently then spread chopped spinach leaves (palak) over it and again mix well and cover the lid and allow it to simmer for 2 minutes.
10 – After 2 minutes turn off the gas flame and your palak paneer is ready.
11 – Garnish it with fresh cream, ginger slices and coriander leaves and serve it hot with chapati, nan and jawar roti or jeera rice etc.
Tips for preparing Palak Paneer:
1 – In spinach, the iron content is non-haem iron. This isn’t absorbed as easily by the body. While boiling spinach, adding chopped tomato by removing seeds helps with iron absorption by the body.
2 – Add dried fenugreek also known as Kasuri methi, dried fenugreek lends the palak paneer a slightly sweet, nutty flavour that pairs nicely with the fresh cheese. Fenugreek leaves are often used as a herb or seasoning in Indian food.
3 – Do not undercook palak as it could cause stomach upset as well as bitter gravy taste.
Palak Paneer | Palak Paneer Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 250 grams Paneer (Cottage Cheese) cut in 1" size cubes
- 250 grams Spinach leaves (Palak) 35-40 nos. big leaves
- 2 tablespoon fresh Cream
- 2 nos. medium size roughly chopped Onions
- 1 tablespoon Clarified Butter (Ghee)
- 2 nos. medium size chopped Tomatoes
- 1 inch chopped Ginger
- 5-7 nos. Garlic cloves
- 2 nos. green Chillies
- 6-7 nos. Cashew nuts
- 2-3 tablespoon Cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon red Chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 2 nos. small bay leaves
- 2 nos. Cloves
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 1 no. Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Shah jeera
- ½ teaspoon Salt to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
- To ensure that the spinach is adulterant-free, soak it in water and add a small pinch of salt. Then clean and wash spinach thoroughly.
- Take a large cooking pot, add 2 glass of water and 35 to 40 spinach leaves (Palak) with 2 nos. chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes only.
- Chope 4 to 5 cooked spinach leaves and keep them aside.
- Blend cooked spinach and tomatoes to fine paste (puree)
- Heat 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) in a kadhai or cooking pot and add cumin seeds, chopped onion, garlic cloves, chopped ginger and cashew nuts and roast it till it turns little golden brown. It takes 2 minutes.
- Blend roasted spices to a fine paste.
- Now heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a kadhai or cooking pot and add shah jeera, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and cardamom when it spread a nice aroma (it take a minute only) then add finely blended onions and other spices paste to it and cook for 1 minute.
- After a minute add red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste.
- When masala started to oozes out oil then add spinach paste and Cook for a minute (as spinach already cooked so no need to cook it more) just cook for a minute then add 2 tablespoons fresh cream and 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi and cook for another a minute.
- Add paneer cubes to palak and mix gently then spread chopped spinach leaves (palak) over it and again mix well and cover the lid and allow it to simmer for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes turn off the gas flame and your palak paneer is ready.
- Garnish it with fresh cream, ginger slices and coriander leaves and serve it hot with chapati, nan and jawar roti or jeera rice etc.
Notes
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Palak Paneer | Palak Paneer Instant Pot
