5 Variations of Palak Paneer | Palak Paneer Gravy Restaurant Style | Palak Saag Paneer Recipe | 4.6/5.0

Best Occasion to Prepare this Recipe

Desperately seeking healthy lunchbox ideas? Pregnant mother dealing with heartburn issues? Or is it just another week where you’re deliberately trying to include Palak in your meal ’cause your mom said so? Oh and do you have a stubborn kid at home that hates Spinach?

Comes to rescue — Healthy + YUMMYLICIOUS Indian Vegetarian Gravy == Palak Paneer!!!

It’s a delicious and moderately spiced traditional Indian dish that is nutritious and fully packed with Protein, Magnesium, Folate, Vitamin A, K, Potassium, and Calcium. THIS is WHY all the fuss for Palak Paneer!

There are multiple variations of this recipe and I’ve tried and tested all of them. One happy news is that every recipe is easy, stress free and doesn’t require shopping for ingredients. Palak Paneer recipe essentially just needs Onions + Spinach + Cream + Cashew Nuts + Tomatoes (can even do without them!). Obsessed with presentation that I am, I prefer Paneer that is grilled/broiled/pan-fried until golden and added to the gravy sauce to soak up the flavor, finally garnish it with grated Paneer and a dash of cream.

The prep time on this dish is only about 15mins with a total cook time of 30-45minutes. Yes- THAT quick and painless!

PS: Palak Paneer pairs great with Tandoori Rotis, Naan (plain/garlic/butter), Phulkas, plain Parathas, all kinds of Kulchas, Jeera Rice, Veg Pulao or plain Biryani Rice

My Top Recipe Recommendations

1. Kabita’s Kitchen’s Palak Paneer
   • Pickometer Score 4.6/5.0 More often than not- this is my default recipe for Palak Paneer, ’cause I was raised knowing only this flavor and taste – hence it became a familiar Devil, lol. Here Onions, garlic, tomato and spinach are cooked and pureed to smooth paste
2. Chef De Home’s- Restaurant Style Palak Saag Paneer
   • Pickometer Score 4.50/5.0 this recipes are very close to what you find in Restaurants. Some people prefer this consistency of half of the spinach being coarse pureed
3. Spice up the Curry Palak Paneer Recipe
   • Pickometer Score 4.50/5.0 Interesting unorthodox recipe. Spinach is blanched and pureed, Onion mix is boiled and pureed and tomato is chopped and cooked in oil. These mixtures come together to a delicious gravy!
4. Veg Recipes of India’s Palak Paneer
   • Pickometer Score 4.40/5.0 No tomatoes added to the mix! That’s right- check out this unique recipe where she burns natural charcoal and captures its aroma to add the smoky essence to this gravy!
5. Indian Healthy Recipes’ Palak Paneer
   • Pickometer Score 4.40/5.0 Tried to retain the color and nutrition of Spinach by not boiling it- but pan cooking it for a few minutes instead. Also, the onion+ tomato gravy is not pureed here!

My Improv & Notes

Tips to retain the “Green-ness” of Palak Paneer

• Remove stems and wash the spinach thoroughly
• Bring a large pan of salted water to a running boil. Dip the spinach leaves into the pan and let it simmer for 3 minutes uncovered. You will see the green of the spinach deepen. Add little sugar to see the color deepen. Switch off the heat, let it stay for 2 more minutes
• Strain the spinach and turn it immediately over into the bowl of chilled water

Other Tips

• Thicker the gravy, the better. Don’t add too much water and if you plan to add in cashews, make sure it is boiled in water before it is blended
• If your Palak and green chillies are not cooked properly, it will turn the gravy bitter
• Avoid Red Chili powder and use green chilies instead for the deep green color of the gravy
• Use cream in place of milk for extra richness. Curd or sour cream also work fine
• If adding curd, make sure you beat the curd until paste and take the gravy off the stove when you add in the curd
• Paneer cubes can be pan roasted until golden, kept immersed in hot water until used then added to the gravy

Restaurants Serving Best Palak Paneer in Bay Area

• Darbar Indian Cuisine
• Lahore Karahi
• Curry Leaf
• Pakwan Restaurant – 16th Street
• Mela Tandoori Kitchen
• Cuisine of Nepal
• Satkar Indian Cuisine