I was sending my palak paneer recipe to a friend and figure I'd post
it on here for fun. (I wonder what the difference between Saag Paneer
and Palak Paneer is?)
When I make palak paneer I just kind of go by feel and mostly ignored the recipes I had... but for explanations sake it is easier to compare to a recipe and then describe how I changed it... so here goes. I'm referring to the scan attached to this post.. which is from "Meatless Indian Cooking" by Pat Chapman.
(The cookbook is very british, I'm not a huge fan of their technique but they are pretty clear with the directions and roughly correct overall. Basically they way overboil everything.)
Ingredient changes: I added a chopped tomato or two. I did use the cubed paneer than you can find in indian stores (India-4-U at 33rd & Hawthorne has it). I also didn't use cloves or cardamom (that is your taste) - but I did use fenugreek seeds (roasted & powdered) which you could also find at the Indian store - fenugreek leaves are unusual in my experience. I probably used signifcantly more coriander and cumin (you can use powered and not grind it yourself) and some garam masala too.
Cooking changes: I definately didn't boil the spinach for 15 minutes.. I probably cooked it with just a little extra water for a few minutes (never draining it) and added it as-is to the spices later. I added the tomato when the spinach is added to the spices. According to the recipe I probably didn't fry the spice & oil paste for 6 minutes either.. 3 minutes should be plenty and you don't want to burn it.
Maybe one day I'll write something down and try it to get it more clear, but this is pretty much how I do most of my Indian cooking - seat of the pants!
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