Palak Paneer
What you need
Olive oil / butter
1 small onion
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Green chili pepper
Spinach (2 blocks frozen or 2 big boxes of raw baby spinach)
Heavy whipping cream
1 block paneer, store-bought or homemade
Fresh cilantro, 1/4 bunch chopped
Spices: turmeric, garam masala, sugar, coriander powder, fennel powder, cumin seed, (optional) cardamom
What to do
Fry the paneer in a wide sauté pan in some oil. Cut the paneer into ~1” thick slices and fry for a few minutes on each side. Once fried, remove from heat and set aside to rest before cutting the slices into 1” cubes.
Heat butter or olive oil in a wide sauté pan. Once it starts shimmering & is hot, add the chopped onion, chopped green chili, and 1/8 tsp turmeric.
When the onions start getting translucent, lower heat to medium & add sliced garlic and 1 tsp garam masala.
If you’re using frozen spinach blocks, microwave the blocks to defrost and soften. Once the garlic’s aroma is released, add the spinach & lower to medium-low heat. For fresh spinach, you may have to add the leaves in batches to allow them to wilt and make room in the pan.
Once all the spinach is in, add a pinch of sugar, and lower the heat to a low simmer. Now it’s time for the spices. Add in 1 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander, and 1/2 tsp fennel powder. Let this simmer for 5 minutes; add water a few tablespoons at a time if it starts to stick to the pan.
As the spinach simmers in the spice flavors, add in the chopped paneer and mix gently as to not break the paneer too much. Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream and stir together.
Add salt to taste, top with fresh chopped cilantro, and enjoy with rice or naan!
