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restaurant style palak paneer in a pan
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5 from 2 votes

Restaurant-style Palak Paneer

This cozy, super-flavorful recipe is inspired by restaurant-style palak paneer and saag paneer. It's easy to make at home. Here's how.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: restaurant-style palak paneer
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 20 ounces (567 grams) frozen chopped spinach
  • 12 ounces (340 grams) paneer
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) safflower oil, divided
  • 1 medium white onion diced small
  • 8 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1- inch piece fresh ginger peeled and grated on a rasp
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt divided
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ cups (355 ml) half and half
  • ½ cup (113 grams) plain yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek

Instructions

  • Cook the spinach in the microwave according to package directions. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
  • Transfer to food processor and pulse to create a puree that's as rough or smooth as you like. (I prefer palak paneer that's nice and saucy but still has a bit of texture to it.)
  • Cut the paneer into approximate 1/2-inch dice.
  • Warm two tablespoons of the oil in large nonstick skillet pan over medium heat. Add the paneer and fry, turning gently once or twice, until golden brown on several sides and warmed through. Remove to a plate.
  • Return pan to stove and heat remaining two tablespoons oil over medium heat. 
  • Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is substantially reduced in volume and turning a gorgeous golden brown in spots. Don't rush this process — it adds a lot of depth to the final dish.
  • Add the coriander, cumin, garam masala, cayenne, and two tablespoons water and cook, stirring, until very toasty and fragrant, abouot two minutes.
  • Add spinach, half and half, yogurt, fenugreek, and remaining salt, and stir to combine well.
  • Simmer, regulating heat as necessary, for about five minutes, until thick and creamy and warmed through.
  • Gently stir in paneer and cook a minute more to warm through.

Notes

  1. If you’re using fresh spinach instead of frozen, you'll blanch it first. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. Add spinach to boiling water and cook for one minute. Immediately transfer spinach to ice water until cold.
  2. You can buy paneer at an Indian grocery or some higher-end U.S. supermarkets, or make your own.
  3. Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
  4. If you like, you can use a mix of leafy cooking greens, such as kale, collards, mustard greens, and spinach, in this recipe. Just keep the total amount of greens around 20 ounces.
  5. I love to make this recipe a day or two in advance when possible, to give the flavors a chance to settle into each other. Once cooled, you can store this dish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
  6. For a vegan version of this dish, you can substitute pressed extra-firm tofu for the paneer and full-fat canned coconut milk and yogurt for their dairy counterparts.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 722mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 3g