Cottage Cheese in Spinach Sauce/Punjabi Palak Paneer

Punjabi Palak Paneer (Cottage Cheese in Spinach sauce) is a tempting tasty Punjabi cuisine and one of the most popular Indian Paneer Recipes. It can be prepared with Dhungar (Charcoal Smoking Method) which adds flavor to the dish

Ingredients

Spinach (Palak) – 1 Big Bunch

Cottage Cheese (Paneer) – 250 Gms (cut into cubes)

Green Chilli – 2

Garlic – 8 pods

Ginger – ½ inch long piece crushed

Coriander (Dhania) Powder – 1 tsp

Cumin (Jeera) Powder – ½ tsp

Garam Masala – ¼ tsp

Fresh Cream – 1 tbsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Ginger –½ inch long piece (julienned)

Lemon Juice – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

For Tempering

Oil – 1 tsp

Butter – 1 tbsp

Cumin Seed (Jeera) – 1 tsp

Bay Leaf – 2 Nos

Preparation:

Rinse the Spinach (Palak) leaves in running water. Cut off the stems and discard.

Boil 3 cups of water in a pan. Add ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp Sugar and allow the salt and sugar to dissolve. Add Spinach. Cook for 2 minutes, transfer it quickly to a bowl containing cold water. Immerse the spinach into the cold water, leave for couple of minutes, remove and drain the water from the Spinach.

Sauté Green Chilli, Garlic and Ginger with very little oil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Heat 1/8 tsp of Butter, sprinkle salt on it. Spread the Paneer cubes over it. Cook on medium heat for a minute. Turn all the Paneer Cubes and cook for another minute. Transfer to a bowl.

Grind the blanched Spinach (Palak), sautéed Green Chilli, Ginger and Garlic. Grind it into a fine puree.

Heat oil and Butter in a pan. Add Cumin Seeds and Bay Leaf.

When the Cumin Seeds starts crackling, reduce the flame and add Jeera and Dhania Powder and stir.

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Add the Spinach Puree immediately. Add ½ cup of water. Stir well. Simmer it for six to seven minutes or till the Spinach is cooked well. The gravy would become little thick by this time.

Add the fresh Cream, Garam Masala and salt.

Mix well and add Paneer Cubes.

Stir it gently and simmer till the Paneer Cubes become soft and succulent.  It takes about 3 to 4 minutes for this process.

Remove from the heat. Add Lemon Juice and mix gently. Transfer to a serving Bowl and garnish with Fresh Cream and Julienned Ginger.

Done!

Serve with Tandoori Roti, Plain Roti, Naan, Jeera Rice etc.

Notes:

Do not allow the Paneer to overcook, else it will become chewy.

While adding salt, take care to add required amount only since Spinach contains salt. Also, salt has been added while Sautéing Paneer.