Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

Palak Paneer is a popular paneer dish served in road side dhabas and in restaurants. Lightly fried paneer is cooked in a pureed spinach-tomato gravy. Goes well with boiled rice, chapathi or Nan.

Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

(Recipe adapted from NitaMehta's Paneer All the way)

Ingredients: 

Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) - 200 gms, cut in to 1" cubes

Palak (Spinach) - 1/2kg (1 bunch)

Onions - 2

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic  - 5 cloves

Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped

Green chillies - 2, chopped

Red chilly powder -1 tsp

Cardamom powder - ¼  tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and chop palak. Cook with 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes on low flame after the first boil. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
• Grind onions, garlic and ginger together.
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan and slightly fry cubed paneer. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat rest of ghee in the same pan. Add onion paste and cook till onions turns golden and ghee separates.
• Add chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook for 5-6 minutes on slow fire, till ghee separates.
• Add ground palak, add a little water if too thick.
• Cook for 6-8 minutes on slow fire. Add salt.
• Add cardamom powder and fried paneer. Mix well and remove from fire.
• At the time of serving, heat 1 tbsp ghee,add 1 tsp red chilly powder. Remove from fire and pour this over the heated palak paneer.
• Mix well and serve at once with Rice,Chapathi, Paratha or Nan