The recipe is straightforward and requires the ingredients readily available in our pantry. Palak Paneer is satisfying, wholesome, creamy, and very delicious. Jump to:About Palak Paneer IngredientsHow To Substitute CashewsBlanching The SpinachStep by Step DirectionsGarnishing SuggestionsServing SuggestionsMore Spinach RecipesRecipe Card

About Palak Paneer

Spinach is my favorite among other greens. I especially love baby spinach, and so I try to add spinach to my recipes wherever and whenever possible.  So obviously, Palak Paneer is one of my favorite curry dishes. I still have a childhood memory of when I tasted Palak Paneer for the first time in a restaurant. And I was instantly in love with this dish.  My mom was not used to cooking spinach often (due to some religious reasons), so I learned to make Palak Paneer on my own. Now, my son also loves Palak Paneer, and so I often make this dish. This is a great way to add greens to our menu and feed the family. There are various versions of making the Palak Paneer recipe. Everyone has their own style of making it, and I even make it in several different ways, depending on what is available in my pantry. But this recipe, which I am sharing here, is my family favorite and the most delicious one. I love this Palak Paneer without onion and garlic recipe, which is flavorful with a slightly prominent ginger taste.  Spinach does not have a strong taste; it has a mild herb-like earthy taste. After cooking, it will be slightly acidic and sometimes may tend to go a little bitter. So, we need to mask the spinach dish with other ingredients to make it tasty and flavorful.  The most common way is to use a lot of garlic with spinach. But since we don’t eat garlic and this is no onion, no garlic recipe, I have generously used ginger. Ginger doesn’t overpower the dish; instead, it makes the curry flavorful and enhances the earthy taste of spinach.

Ingredients

How To Substitute Cashews

For me, cashews are very important in some curries, where we want smooth, creamy, and rich texture. In most curry recipes, onions are used to provide flavor and give volume and thickness to the dish.  But when we make curries without onion and garlic, all we have left is tomatoes. If we use only tomatoes, the curry will be thin, tangy, and not as delicious as it should be.  And in that case, we can use cashews to provide the necessary volume and balance the tanginess of tomatoes. Also, it makes the dish creamy, rich, and thick.  Still, if you do not want to use cashews, there are other options to substitute them, as mentioned below.

Blanching The Spinach

Blanching is the perfect technique to cook spinach. Do not pressure cook the spinach, or do not boil it for a more extended period of time. Cooking the spinach for longer will result in the loss of nutrients and color. So in blanching, we add spinach leaves into boiling water and blanch it for 45 seconds to a minute only. Then, immediately remove it from the boiling water and place it into a bowl of ice cubes or ice water. Putting it into ice-cold water will retain the color of spinach and will also prevent further cooking. Blanching the spinach to make this dish is essential, and make sure not to overcook the spinach.

Step by Step Directions

For The Spinach Puree

Remove the stems from the spinach. If the stems are very tender, and if you prefer, you can keep them. I always discard the stems and use only spinach leaves. Rinse the spinach thoroughly with running water, and make sure to remove any dirt or sand from the leaves.

Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Once the water starts boiling, add spinach leaves and cook for a minute. Then turn off the heat.

Take ice cubes (or cold water with some ice cubes) in a medium bowl. Remove spinach from the pot and place it immediately in the bowl of ice. Placing the spinach into an ice bowl will retain the color and will stop further cooking of spinach.

Allow the spinach to cool down for a few minutes, and then remove the ice water. Take spinach leaves (no need to squeeze the spinach leaves) into a blender jar and add fresh coriander leaves. There is no need to add water while grinding.

Blend the spinach and coriander leaves into a smooth spinach or Palak puree and set aside.

For The Gravy

Heat oil in a pan and add green chilis and ginger. Saute for a minute.

Add asafoetida and cashews, cook for a minute or until cashews are lightly golden.

Then, add tomatoes and mix well. Continue cooking the mixture until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down a bit.

Take it into a blender jar and blend it into a smooth puree.

For The Palak Paneer

Pour the prepared tomato and cashew puree into the same pan. Turn on the heat and bring the gravy to a boil.

Add a prepared spinach puree and mix well. Continue cooking for two minutes.

Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and Garam Masala powder. Mix well and cook for two minutes.

Add paneer cubes, milk, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly, turn the heat on low and cover the pan with a lid.

Cook Palak Paneer for 5 minutes, and then remove the lid. Add dried fenugreek leaves and lime juice. Mix well and turn off the heat.

Transfer the Palak Paneer into a serving bowl. 

Garnishing Suggestions

Garnish the bowl of Palak Paneer with butter or a tablespoon of cream. We can also garnish it with some chopped ginger and lime wedges.

Serving Suggestions

We love Palak Paneer with Naan. And it also goes well with Roti or Paratha. You can serve Palak Paneer with Whole Wheat Kulcha (No Yeast) / Kulcha On Tawa. The other best way is to serve it with steamed Basmati Rice or Jeera Rice.

More Spinach Recipes

You May Like More Curries

Palak Corn (No Onion No Garlic) / Spinach and Corn Curry Matar Paneer No Onion No Garlic Rajma Masala (No Onion No Garlic) / Kidney Bean Curry Sweet Corn Curry (No Onion No Garlic) Methi Malai Paneer (No Onion No Garlic)

Recipe Card

Plain Yogurt: Use full-fat or Greek yogurt in the recipe instead of cashews. Whisk the yogurt before adding it to the dish. Add ¼ cups of whisked yogurt before adding crushed fenugreek leaves. Make sure to mix well after adding yogurt. Almonds: Instead of cashews, we can use blanched almonds in the recipe. Simply take the same quantity of almonds and use them in the recipe in place of cashews.