Palak paneer is one of my son’s favorite dishes and that is an achievement indeed. He hates rice, but when I think about it, even I wasn’t a big fan of rice or koottu or most South Indian foods at his age . I wouldn’t protest since I didn’t know any better, but I didn’t exactly love the food I was served either. And look at me now…I love all foods and South Indian is my favorite. So maybe it’s just a game of not giving up now and feeding him even though he eats with a look of martyrdom and a loud sigh. And hope that he will learn to love it as time passes by.
But some recipes are his favorites. Palak paneer is one of those. Even if you serve it with rice, there are no complaints. There is obvious delight and no questions are asked. I won’t say that I make it regularly, but I do make it at least once a month. Don’t want to jinx the special status of the dish by making it regularly.
I used to try my friend’s recipe for a long time, but now found another recipe at this site and that’s what I have been making for the past couple of times. Basically it’s spinach cooked with ginger, green chilies, garlic and onion. A few more items and the dish is complete. Palak paneer is a mild dish and you usually don’t add a lot of spice powders, letting the spinach shine over everything else.
Read on for the recipe. This serves about 4-5 people.
Serves 4-5 people
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon ghee
- 1/2 teaspoon jeera
- 1″ piece of ginger, chopped fine
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 green chilies, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or per taste
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup thick yogurt, optional
- 2 bunches of spinach, about 600gms, chopped roughly
- 200 gms paneer
- 2-3 tablespoons of cream, optional
Method:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter or oil in a pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon of jeera seeds. Once it changes color, add 1″ piece of chopped ginger, couple of chopped green chillies and 3-4 crushed or chopped garlic cloves. Once this turns golden in color, add one roughly chopped medium onion. Sauté until it turns pink.
- Chop and add one medium tomato to the sautéed onions. Let it cook for a couple of minutes. Add all the spices – 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, a pinch of ground nutmeg and salt as needed. Cook for a further minute or two.
- Add 1/4 cup of yogurt and mix well. You can switch off the heat and let the curry cool a bit before adding the yogurt if you want. I didn’t do that.
- Add 3 bunches of spinach, about 750 gms, that’s roughly chopped and cook until it shrinks in size and is wilted. Taste test and adjust seasonings if needed. Take off the heat and let it cool down.
- Purée this mixture in a blender. Now add it back to the pan and bring it to a slow simmer. Add the cubed paneer pieces as well and let it cook together for a few minutes. You can add a few tablespoons of cream if you wish. Take off the heat and serve hot with chapati or jeera rice.
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My Kitchen Trials 
Another tempting punjabi famous recipe. This should definitely be a hit with kids. And very protein rich.
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I love palak paneer specially with laccha paratha… looks tempting.
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I admired the clicks. Aww neverthless say the gravy is awesome and one of the best for kids
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That palak paneer looks very comforting and I love your elegant composition. Kids preferences, don’t ask about it yaar, they have all crazy likings 🙄 and disliking.
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he he I can very well relate to those achievements. Kids and their food preferences. Sigh… And that palak paneer looks very vibrant and wholesome.
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Delicious palak paneer, I love it and so do the rest of my family..wonder of wonders. Love the colour and your cookware. In case you plan to discard it please come to Goa and discard it.
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My elder girl’s taste changes every week these days ! Suddenly there’s an aversion to most veggies :(( but this has been a fav for a long time. Lovely green colour u got there
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So true Rajani. Even I hated all South Indian dishes as a kid and now I can run a mile for idli sambhar. But palak paneer has been a favourite all along. Guess there is something magical about it, your version looks fantastic and your pics totally make me drool. Lovely pick for protein rich!
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So creamy and delicious.. Such a rich gravy anytime..
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Ah I can feel how it must be with kids..even my kids love palak paneer and I am happy that they get to eat some greens, else there is nothing else that is liked in greens…guess since we make so many dishes for our kids, they have a wide choice, whereas we didn’t get that many as kids..:)..making a note of what Vaishali has said, will try that next time..:).
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Even i was not a big of greens, kootu when i was a kid, now everything is opposite. Can eat greens and kootu everyday. We keep on changing at every age na. Palak paneer looks superb and very catchy with prefect green colour.
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Taste changes at every age, so your kid will also love South Indian food when he grows up. This palak paneer looks so wonderful and would make a perfect side for naan.
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Paalak Paneer is a dish which most kids like , even I feel safe with it . Your version is more or less the same as mine , I just add kitchen king masala , which gives it a restaurant like flavor … personal experience in a restaurant kitchen :))
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Thanks for that tip Vaishali! Will try it the next time
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