Palak Paneer with Homemade Naan
Anyone who likes Indian food or has tried Indian food knows about Palak Paneer. It is one of the most common Paneer dishes in Indian cuisine. Also, the most common spinach recipe.
Ingredients
For Paneer
- 1 gallon Whole Milk
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
For Naan
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ cup Water
- Butter or Ghee to spread it on the Naan
For Spinach Gravy
- 2 bunch Spinach
- 4 sprigs Cilantro
- 1 Serrano Chili small to medium
- 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 inch Ginger finely chopped
- ½ cup Onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Salt adjust the salt as per your taste
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½ cup Water
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Lime/Lemon Juice or to taste
Instructions
Paneer Preparation
- Start heating up a gallon of whole milk on medium heat stirring often.
- In a measuring cup mix the water and vinegar and set it aside.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, turn the heat off and add the water and vinegar mixture immediately while constantly stirring.
- Milk will start to curdle. Now, strain it through the cheesecloth.
- Rinse the curdle in cheesecloth with cold running water, this will help to get rid of the vinegar taste.
- Squeeze out all the water from the cottage cheese and hang it to dry or press the cheesecloth under some heavy pans for a few hours to get rid of excess moisture and then refrigerate the Paneer overnight.
Naan Preparation
- In a mixing bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, yogurt, water, and start kneading the dough.
- It is going to be a very sticky dough. Once the dough is ready, cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Heat up a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Take the tennis ball size dough and roll it out on a well-floured surface.
- Put your Naan on a hot skillet once you see bubbles forming quickly, flip it, and let it roast on the other side.
- Once the Naan is ready, brush them with some melted butter or Ghee.
Spinach Gravy Preparation
- Fill up a pot of water and bring it to boil, meantime get another bowl and fill it up with cold water and some ice in it.
- Blanch your washed bunch of spinach into the boiling water for about 1 to 2 minutes, quickly removed it, and put them straight into iced water to stop the spinach cooking any further. This process also helps to retain the bright green color of spinach.
- Take the spinach out onto a paper towel.
- Blend the spinach with one serrano chili and few sprigs of cilantro.
- In a saucepan heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, throw in cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Now add your finely chopped onions, ginger, garlic and season it with salt
- Add your pureed spinach to the pan and cook for a minute or two. If the sauce is too thick adjust the consistency by adding water.
- Cut the Paneer into cubes, add it to the gravy and let it cook for two more minutes.
- Add the Garam Masala, lime juice, and heavy cream to the gravy, mix it well and we're ready to serve our Palak Paneer.
Notes
Vegan-Friendly Adaptation: Substitute Ghee/butter with vegan butter and yogurt with non-dairy yogurt for Naan preparation. You can also replace the Paneer with Tofu, just boil the Tofu for a few minutes, it helps to achieve Paneer like texture. You can also substitute heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk.