Palak Paneer

Indian food. Absolutely delicious. I still remember the day my friend Mike convinced me to go to the Indian buffet in town for the first time. I was skeptical of the cuisine, especially for my tender tummy’s sake, but the visit to the restaurant changed my bias and palate for good. Today, being National Spinach Day (and yes, I did find a calendar that tells me all the food days of the month), I wanted to try my hand at Palak Paneer, or Saag Paneer. Palak Paneer is the beautiful creamy spinach dish that has the bits of cheese throughout. It’s one of my favorite items to get when I visit Indian establishments, so I hope to do it justice in my attempt.

Paneer is very similar to cottage cheese or ricotta, but I wanted to make this dish as authentic as possible, so that meant I had to first make my own Paneer. It’s a basic enough recipe, but it does take a bit of time, so if you’re starving, I recommend substituting the Paneer with cottage cheese or, even better, with a rich ricotta.

PANEER (cheese):

1 litre (4.25 cups) of milk
½ tsp lemon juice

Let the milk come to a boil in a saucepan. In the meantime, add your lemon juice to ½ a cup of warm water. Once the milk begins to boil, pour the lemon juice-water mix into it. Reduce the heat and stir continuously until the milk is completely curdled. Remove the sauce pan from the heat when the separation of the curds and the yellowish whey is complete (I compared the “yellowish whey” here to the liquid you find a block of feta cheese stored in, similar texture and colour).
Next strain the mixture through a clean muslin or cheese cloth. Hold it under running water for about a minute and then press out all the excess water. Hang the bag to drain out all the whey, about an hour. The Paneer can now be pressed into shape and cut into chunks. If you having a hard time shaping your Paneer, let it rest under a heave pot or dish for about 2 more hours before cutting it.


Traditionally, the Paneer is fried in oil for about a minute to give it a crunchy outer skin and enhance its flavour. Fry the Paneers, stirring enough so that it doesn’t stick. Remove from the pan and place onto a plate lined with paper towel, to soak up any excess oil. If you’re wanting to save a few calories, add the Paneer raw.

PALAK (spinach)

2 lbs fresh baby spinach leaves (or frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained)
1 lb of Paneer cubes (about 28-30 cubes)
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1” piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1 tsp ground coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp red chili powder
pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
½ cup cream (you can use light cream or even half and half)
2-3 tbsp oil, olive or vegetable

Half of the recipes I researched called for a tomato element to be added to the Palak, and half did not. I chose to leave out the tomato this time around to see how the final dish compared to ones I have eaten at Indian restaurants.


First you need to blanch the spinach leaves. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the spinach leaves for just a minute or two. Remove, drain well and run under cold water. This will stop the cooking process and also set their beautiful green color. Using a food processor, pulse the spinach into a smooth paste, adding water if needed (I used the drained whey from the Paneer).

In a skillet on medium high heat, add a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and let cook until they are translucent (around 5-6 minutes). Add the ginger and garlic. Stir for a few minutes and add the spices. Let the spices cook for a few minutes then add the pureed spinach. You can add a little water here if needed (again, I used drained Paneer whey). The traditional consistency of this dish is that of thick gravy. Mix well and let cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Now add the Paneer cubes and cream. Stir and let cook for a few more minutes until the Paneer cubes have warmed through.


Serve over Basmati rice. Feeds 4-6 people.

I hope you like it.