Palak Paneer Recipe | Restaurant-Style Spinach Paneer Curry
Palak Paneer
Restaurant-style spinach and paneer curry with a ghee–garam masala finish
Creamy, vibrant palak paneer — fresh spinach boiled and puréed, simmered with paneer cubes in a cumin-tempered onion, ginger, garlic and green chilli base, finished with a sizzling spoon of ghee and garam masala. A weeknight-friendly vegetarian classic that tastes like your favourite dhaba.
Ingredients
Main
- 1 packet fresh spinach (palak), washed
- 200 g paneer (½ packet), cut into small cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 small piece ginger, chopped
- 3 green chillies, chopped
Spices & Tempering
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 tsp garam masala (plus 1 tsp for the ghee topping)
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp desi ghee, for finishing
Instructions
- Cook the spinach. 0:08 Boil the washed spinach in water for about 15 minutes until tender. Drain and blend into a smooth paste.
- Prep paneer and aromatics. 0:11 Cut the paneer into small cubes. Chop the onion, garlic, ginger, and green chillies.
- Sauté the base. 0:32 Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and the dried red chilli. After a minute, add the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Cook until the onion turns golden brown.
- Simmer with paneer. 0:41 Add the spinach paste and paneer cubes. Mix well. Add 1 tsp garam masala and salt, cover, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Ghee tempering. 0:51 In a small pan, heat the ghee with 1 tsp garam masala until fragrant. Pour over the bubbling palak paneer and mix gently.
- Serve. 1:01 Serve hot with roti, naan, or jeera rice.
Pro tip: Blend the spinach while still warm for a silky purée, and add the ghee–garam masala tadka at the end — it mimics the restaurant-style smoky finish without cream.
Devi's Delish · devisdelish.com