PALAK PANEER | PANEER RECIPES | SIDE DISH FOR ROTI

   I used to hate palak paneer until I tasted at The Mango tree restaurant here in Singapore. So I have  never tried at home too obviously. This is the first time I am trying this. Now I am liking slowly. Since my kiddo loves paneer, this is a nice way to make him eat spinach…he eats palak poori though…

      To get a perfect palak paneer,we must take care to retain the green colour of the palak, also there should not be any green smell of the palak and without any bitterness too.

Ingredients

Palak/Indian spinach	2 bunches
Onion	1 big
Paneer cubes	1 cup
Tomato	2 small
Green chillies	5 –6 nos.
Turmeric	A pinch
Coriander/dhaniya powder	1 tsp
Kasoori methi	1 pinch
Milk	1/4 cup
Oil/butter	3 tblsp
Salt	as needed

To roast and powder

Cinnamon	1/2 inch piece
Elachi	1 no.
Cloves	1 no.
Pepper	1 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera	1 tsp

Method:

1. Clean the spinach and remove the stem part from the leaf. (Tear off any thick stem part in the middle of the leaves too..)
2. Chop the onion and tomatoes finely.
3. In a pan,heat 1/2 tsp of ghee and fry the items in the To roast and powder table. Add every thing together except cumin seeds and roast. Add cumin seeds lastly as it gets fried in no time. Do not burn anything which will turn the gravy bitter. Keep a side.I powdered this using a hand mortar and pestle in to a fine powder.

4. In the same pan, add the washed palak leaves and fry till it reduces in volume. The water in the leaves is enough to make it shrink. If you need all few drops of oil while frying. I sautéed  in two batches.Transfer to a plate and cool down.
5. Grind it with the green chillies.
6. Heat the pan and add the oil and fry onions thoroughly till it turns golden brown. Add the turmeric and coriander powder and give it a quick stir in low flame.
7. Add the tomatoes and little salt to make the tomatoes cook fast. Add the kassori methi now,while you crush them in between your palms.
8. When the tomatoes turn mushy,add the ground palak paste. Fry in low flame for 4-5 minutes till oil separates or till the raw smell disappears and the palak gets cooked well.
9. Mean while boil water and add the paneer and switch off the stove and keep covered till use.
10. Drain the paneer and add it to the paalak gravy. Add milk and mix carefully and bring to boil.Add the powdered garam masala.Mix well.
11. Transfer to the serving bowl and serve with hot roti or naan.

I had with roti!

Notes:

I preferred sautéing the leaves than boil,you can try boiling too. Make sure not over cook the palak,or you wont get green gravy.Add a pinch of sugar to retain its green while boiling… I have avoided using red chilli powder and used green chilli and pepper for spiciness. You can use cream in place of milk for extra richness. Also curd or sour cream works fine.  I would like to add a dash of lime juice while serving.

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