Palak Paneer
Golden-brown fried fresh cheese in a bright green, creamy spinach sauce with ginger.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 486 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cooking & baking
- 25 min
Golden-brown fried fresh cheese in a bright green, creamy spinach sauce with ginger. To prevent the sauce from turning gray-green, the spinach is briefly blanched and immediately shocked in ice water, which sets its color. A vegetarian main dish that even convinced meat eaters will not miss.
Why this works
Chlorophyll loses its magnesium atom as soon as it comes into contact with acid and heat for a longer period, turning into olive-brown pheophytin. Brief blanching destroys the plant's own enzymes that accelerate this process, and the ice water stops the cooking immediately. Both together set the green color. If, on the other hand, you let the spinach cook in the acidic sauce, the color is gone after a few minutes.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Blanch the spinach
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the spinach for exactly ninety seconds. Then immediately remove it with a slotted spoon and throw it into a bowl of ice water. This temperature shock stops the cooking and sets the chlorophyll, otherwise the sauce will later become an unsightly gray-green.
- 2
Puree the spinach
Squeeze the cooled spinach well and puree it with the green chili and a small splash of water to a fine, bright green paste. Do not add too much water, the sauce should remain thick. Set the paste aside and stir it in later to preserve the color.
- 3
Fry the Paneer
Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and fry the Paneer cubes over medium heat until golden brown all over, which takes about four minutes. Remove them and briefly place them in warm salted water, which keeps them soft and prevents them from becoming rubbery in the sauce.
- 4
Spice base
Heat the remaining ghee in the pot and let the cumin seeds crackle in it. Add the onion and fry it golden brown for eight minutes, then follow with garlic and ginger for another minute. Sprinkle coriander, Garam Masala and turmeric over it and toast them for thirty seconds.
- 5
Combine
Stir in the spinach paste and let it simmer for only 3 to 4 minutes, because long cooking costs color and freshness. Add heavy cream, lemon juice and salt and finally fold in the drained Paneer cubes. After two minutes everything is warmed through and you can serve with naan or rice.
Our best tips
- The ice water after blanching is crucial for the green color. Without it, the sauce turns olive.
- Only let the spinach paste simmer briefly. The longer it cooks, the duller the color and taste become.
- Briefly place fried Paneer in warm salted water, then it stays soft inside instead of squeaky.
Tasty variations
Vegan
Replace Paneer with firm tofu and the heavy cream with cashew butter mixed with water, the result is similarly creamy.
With chickpeas
Instead of Paneer, fold in 400 g of chickpeas, then it becomes higher in protein and cheaper.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 486 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11 g |
| – of which sugar | 7 g |
| Fat | 39 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
Where the 486 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes. Thaw 400 g of frozen leaf spinach, squeeze it well and puree it directly. Blanching is omitted, the color is slightly less bright.
Where can I get Paneer?
In Asian or Indian grocery stores and increasingly in the supermarket. If necessary, firm halloumi works, but it is significantly saltier.
Why does my Paneer get hard?
Frying too long or too long in the hot sauce. Fry briefly, store temporarily in salted water and only fold in at the very end.
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