Palak Paneer Recipe – How To Make Palak Paneer In Punjabi Restaurant Style

Recently I came across this Punjabi Restaurant style palak paneer recipe from HERE.  I have already tried Sindhi style palak paneer long back. As my husband doesn’t like paneer I don’t buy it often. I make paneer gravies very very rarely.  Even if I want to try, I first browse for some recipes which are close to restaurant taste. I can make him eat by telling “Its restaurant style “.  I tried PBM which was also a restaurant style recipe. 

Recently when I was browsing for punjabi restaurant style palak paneer recipe, I got this one. By seeing the comment section, I prepared this dish very confidently.

Yes, this recipe is “Truly a restaurant style recipe in 10 mins..”. My husband loved it.  Me too.

Please do not attempt this recipe without kasoori methi and garam masala. They are the star ingredients. As soon as I added kasoori methi and garam masala powder , the aroma that wafted through my house was awesome. I still remember that smell. I din't have fresh cream in my hand. So I used boiled milk with its skin which was also good in taste. Do try with fresh cream for your guests. They will be amazed!!

INGREDIENTS

Spinach/Palak leaves – 2 bunches (medium sized) Vegetable oil /Cooking oil  or butter - 2 tbsp Cumin seeds /jeera -  1 tsp Ginger, crushed – 1 inch piece ( I used G&G paste – 1 tsp) Garlic, crushed – 6 cloves Big onion ( finely chopped) –  1  Finely Chopped tomatoes – 4 nos ( I used very small tomatoes, if big use 2) Paneer, cubed (Indian cottage cheese) – 100 gms / 1 cup Dried fenugreek leaves (or kasoori methi) – 1 tsp (crush it well before use) Red chilli powder –3/4 - 1 tsp (adjust) Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp Fresh thickened cream – 1 tbsp or Milk with skin / malai – 1.5 tbsp (less than 1/4 cup) Salt to taste Lemon juice – few drops ( add at the end , before serving)

HOW TO MAKE PALAK PANEER (RESTAURANT STYLE)

Remove spinach leaves from stems and wash it well.  Cook in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes & then refresh in cold water, drain, squeeze out excess water and puree until smooth. Reserve this water and add to gravy. Alternately, you can saute the palak leaves in little oil along with one green chilli and grind to a paste.  ( add a tsp of sugar while it cooks which helps to retain its green color).  Chop tomatoes and onions.  Heat oil in a heavy pan.  Add cumin seeds, ginger & garlic paste and onions and fry until golden brown. Add tomatoes, salt and cook until they become soft and mushy.  Add the red chilli powder.    Saute for sometime and then add the spinach puree.  ( Keep the paneer cubes immersed in hot water till use) Add the paneer cubes. Stir  well and add kasoori methi ( crush it with your hands and add), garam masala powder. Boil for few mins. Add water if necessary. Gravy should be little thick in consistency . Add water accordingly as we are going to add milk skin/ malai in the next step. Add milk/ malai at the end. Mix well, leave it for a minute and switch off the flame. If you use fresh cream, add it,  mix well and switch off the flame. Add few drops of lemon juice if desired & Serve hot.

NOTE

Instead of blanching the leaves, you can also try sauteing them with little oil. Add sugar while you saute. I used red chilli powder here. Green chillies can also be used for variation and to get a greener gravy. But in the original recipe it is not mentioned. If you plan to add green chilly, saute it with leaves and then puree it along with the leaves. U can also try adding a pinch of fennel seeds powder while adding kasoori methi to get additional flavour. Boil some water in a bowl, switch off and put the paneer cubes till use. This keeps the paneer soft till end. No need to fry the cubes in oil. Its completely optional.

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