Palak Paneer

Ingredients

• 12 cups Baby spinach
• 1 package Paneer, cubed
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• 1 Yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Fresh ginger, minced
• 1 Serrano pepper
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• ⅜ cup Plain 2% Greek yogurt
• ¾ tsp Kosher salt
• ½ Lemon
• 1 ½ cups Basmati rice

Method

1. Start the rice. Boil a large pot of water. Drop the spinach in for 45 seconds, then lift it straight into ice water. Squeeze it dry and blend it with the serrano and a splash of water into a coarse purée. Blanching and shocking is why this stays emerald instead of turning olive.
2. Brown the paneer cubes in a teaspoon of the ghee over medium-high until spotted gold on two sides, then move them to a plate. Optional but it changes the texture completely.
3. In the same pan, warm the rest of the ghee and sizzle the cumin seeds 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook 8 minutes until soft and golden.
4. Add garlic and ginger, 1 minute. Add coriander and half the garam masala, 30 seconds.
5. Turn the heat to low. Stir in the spinach purée and 1/3 cup water, and cook 4 minutes — low heat from here on protects the color.
6. Take the pan off the heat before stirring in the yogurt so it does not split. Return the paneer, add salt, the rest of the garam masala and a squeeze of lemon, and warm through gently.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Yogurt off the heat, at the very end. Boiled yogurt splits into grains and no amount of stirring brings it back.

🧒 For the kids

Serve it as 'green sauce with cheese' over rice, hold the serrano. Browned paneer is closer to halloumi than to tofu and wins converts.

🥡 Leftovers

Keeps 3 days. The color dulls but the flavor deepens.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.