Richly flavored, hearty, Palak Paneer with the right amount of zing for every day eating and entertaining alike.
🔍 Quick Look: Pakistani Palak Paneer
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 35 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- Key to Success: Sautéing the spinach mix well and adjusting the seasoning at the end.
"I have been searching for a great palak paneer recipe. Found it! Thanks for sharing, will definitely be added into the favored recipe rotation."
- Sara
Pakistani Palak Paneer Explained
Growing up Palak Paneer was always a 'shadi' or wedding dish. Now this is not because there is any religious or cultural significance to serving this spinach and cheese dish at a wedding. It is because Pakistanis are not the greatest at veggies and this dhaba style, deeply flavored dish was one of the few that are considered both festive and delicious enough to serve along side the traditional rich wedding dishes.
You will note this is a thicker, heartier dish, not the very creamy lighter coloured Palak Paneer popular in other parts of South Asia.
That is because this dish has to be fuller flavored and less creamy to stand up to the Kormas and Biryanis that often find their way to shadi and dawat menus.
Ingredients
Below is what I use to cook a Palak Paneer that has a balanced richness. Most of these are obvious, but read on to learn about the best Spinach and my Paneer thoughts.
Picking Spinach: Fresh versus Frozen
For reasons I don't understand the frozen spinach imported from India and Pakistan is much more flavorful than the domestic to my Canadian self variety. There is a depth of flavour (and ease) that makes it my pick for this Pakistani Palak Paneer.
Ranking different varieties of spinach from most to least favorite below no matter what the dish - this one or Aloo Palak or Palak Chicken.
1.) frozen Indian/Pakistani spinach: richest flavour and most convenient
2.) fresh spinach (baby): reasonable flavour, super convenient because you don't need to remove the stalks
3.) fresh spinach (regular): good flavour, but you need to remove all the woody stalks
4.) frozen spinach: doable, but not as good as the above.
Let's talk about Paneer
Now, this is where I fully admit that while it is not difficult to make I am very much at peace with buying it for convenience. Here are things to remember:
1.) If you can find the pre fried paneer cubes in your freezer section then those are the best - drop them directly in to your dish, no muss no fuss.
2.) While you can use fresh paneer sliced and added to the dish if you do choose to fry your own remember to give it a quick salted water bath after frying as insurance against future chewiness
3.) You can freeze paneer, just take out what you need and freeze the rest well wrapped.
How to cook Palak Paneer faster
I once made a Palak Paneer that was so tasty, but took so long that I looked at it and was like "are you nihari?". IYKYK.
Here are some tips for more efficient cooking for Palak Paneer (or any dish frankly).
- fine dice on the onions: it is quicker to finely dice onions and get them to the right color than to cut bigger pieces and get them to be amber beauties.
- use the lid: added tomatoes? cover your pot on medium high heat for 2 minutes to get them to break down faster. Throwing in frozen spinach? Do the same. No need to defrost, the covering will defrost, the higher temp will take out the excess moisture faster.
- food processor or chopper: these are my friends for a Palak Paneer that feels hearty, but also not like I am going to walk way with stringy spinach hanging from my teeth. #BeenThere
- Ice ice baby: because I am perhaps not the most patient cook I throw two ice cubes into my spinach mix before pureeing it so that I don't have to wait for the spinach mix to cool.
How to Make Palak Paneer
- Lightly caramelize your onions in oil along with cumin seeds and green chilies.
2. Add your ginger and garlic, saute for 30 seconds
3. Add the tomatoes and cook to create a rich masala base
4.) Now mix in your spinach and saute on medium high heat util the mix starts to look cohesive, rich, and glisten.
5.) puree the mix
6.) Add your pureed mix back in along with kasuri methi + oil and cook on low till it separates.
7. Add in the paneer, a little butter, and simmer for 5-6 minutes
8. Adjust consistency to preference, taste, adjust, and serve!
Making Palak Paneer Ahead:
This dish becomes even better as it sits, the one thing I would say is to double check your seasonings before reheating. Reheat it gently stove top, in an oven in an oven safe dish on a low setting (300F), or even Microwave it.
Palak Paneer FAQs + Troubleshooting
Spinach retains that bright green colour because of how it is blanched and then pureed. In this recipe it is actually cooked in the masala which changes the colour but gives FAR richer and deeper flavour.
Although Saag is sometimes inaccurately used as a catch all for all dark greens actual saag is mustard greens, therefore any recipe that excludes them entirely can't be 'saag anything' at least in Pakistani cooking.
Yup and here is how: swap the fried paneer for tofu, omit the butter and cream, and use vegan subs or coconut yoghurt.
This dish gets bitter when the spices are added directly to the oil and burn OR when the methi is bitter. This recipe uses kasuri methi to ensure a consistent, fragrant result.
Make a Meal of it
Am I rubbing my hands in glee as I type this? 100% yes.
More Sabzi Recipes
Because when we make food that is vegetarian it has to be extra amazing.
Hope you love this sumptuous Palak Paneer as much as I do! Please leave your rating/comments below and as always I'd love to see your recreations on Instagram!
Pakistani Palak Paneer - Richly flavored, Dhaba Style
Equipment
- saute pan
- food processor/ chopper/ mini blender
Ingredients
- 340 g frozen spinach recommended: south asian, more in post
- ¾ cup diced paneer (roughly 100g, prefried cubes are so good here!)
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onion (50-60g) diced
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic or garlic paste
- ½ tbsp grated ginger or ginger paste
- 1 tomato chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tbsp cream can sub with yoghurt
- 1 tbsp butter
- squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- If you are using prefried paneer or don't want fried paneer you can skip this step, but otherwise cut your paneer into small cubes and pan fry in a little oil until golden on each side. Soak the paneer briefly in salted water and drain - this will keep it from getting rubbery later.
- Heat 3-4 tbsp of oil in a saute pan or wok on medium high heat.
- Add your diced onions, green chilies, and cumin seeds to the pan and cook till the onions take on an amber hue
- Now add in your ginger and garlic, give it a stir and cook for a minute to cook the rawness out.
- Add in your tomatoes, salt, chili flakes, and turmeric.
- Cover your saute pan with a lid and cook for 2 minutes. This breaks the tomatoes down much faster and accelerates the flavour building process.
- Continue to cook the tomato mixture for another 3-5 minutes or until the oil starts to rise above the tomato mix.
- Now it is time for the star of the show - the spinach. You can put your frozen spinach in, turn the heat down to medium, and cook covered for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid, mix well, and cook uncovered on medium high heat for another 5-7 minutes, the mix will look cohesive and rich.
- Run your mix (and 2 ice cubes if you are in a rush) through a chopper, mini food processor or blender along with 1-2 tbsp of cream (or yoghurt). You can also use 1 tbsp cream now and drizzle the last tbsp over at the end.
- Put your mix back in the pan along with 1 tbsp more of oil and your kasuri methi. the extra oil is because your blended mix will burn quickly otherwise.
- Cook on low heat, covered for about 5-7 minutes or until the mix starts to separate a little. Taste, adjust seasoning as needed. A little lemon is so nice for a brighter note.
- Add your paneer cubes, cook for low, covered for 5 minutes and serve! You can slice over slivers of butter or drizzle over melted butter for extra richness.
Rukaiya says
My PAKISTANI FAMILY actually ate this without making any jokes about why the meat is missing! As a vegetarian I thank you - keep these coming!
Sarah Mir says
I will take that win any day! THANK YOU!
Ayesha says
Excellent recipe. When do the green chillies go in?
Sarah Mir says
Thanks Ayesha! With the onions!
Maria says
Do I need to blend the spinach ? Would it affect the taste of I don’t? Thanks
Sarah Mir says
Hmm so i do think so, because then you also make a more homogenous masala and that really elevates the flavour
Sara says
I have been searching for a great palak paneer recipe. Found it! Thanks for sharing, will definitely be added into the favored recipe rotation. Keep sharing vegetarian recipes ( but by all means, Do Not Stop with baking and traditional meat recipes). For those of us who grew up in the West your recipes help to capture the tastes I grew up with and some that I missed out on, and now I can easily recreate at home. You are my bff cooking buddy!!!!