Palak Paneer

About this recipe

The bright-green palak paneer you want comes down to two seconds, not two hours: blanch the spinach briefly, then shock it in cold water before blending. Skip that step and the puree goes the colour of pond weed and tastes slightly metallic. We keep the gravy mostly spinach with just enough onion and tomato to give it backbone, and slide the paneer in right at the end so it stays soft and pillowy. The cheese shouldn't be fried separately, just warmed through in the silky gravy at the very last moment. Spinach has a delicate flavour that's easily overpowered or, conversely, easily killed by overcooking. The blanching mellows its raw taste, while the shock of cold water preserves the bright green colour that makes this dish sing on the plate. The puree is refined through a fine sieve if you want restaurant-style smoothness, but a slightly rustic texture is fine too; what matters is the colour and freshness coming through. The paneer acts more as a vehicle than a flavour; it's there to provide protein and a creamy contrast to the vibrant greens. A finishing swirl of cream is optional, but a final smear of garlic gently cooked in ghee is not. That fragrant, golden garlic oil is what lifts the whole dish from good to craveable. Many home cooks add too much cream and lose the spinach completely; resist that urge. The gravy should taste like clean, cooked spinach with just enough richness to make it elegant. Serve with hot roti or rice, ideally with a crisp salad on the side to cut through the richness. Palak paneer tastes best eaten fresh, but leftovers reheat fine. The paneer will firm up slightly as it cools, but that's fine; what matters is the brightness of the spinach coming through in every spoonful.