Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

Sabzi of the Day - Palak-Corn Paneer: A Wholesome Spinach Treat

Winter is here, and so is the season of fresh spinach, which can be used to produce one of the most popular dishes in India, especially in the north

Winter brings with it a number of saag or leafy vegetables, such as spinach (palak), mustard greens (sarson ka saag), and more. Speaking of spinach, which is more easily accessible than mustard greens, paneer in a spinach-based curry or palak paneer topped with corn is one of the most famous dishes one can find across India, especially in the north.

Given that winter has hit most parts of India in full swing, we believe it is the perfect time to share the recipe for palak-corn paneer, a drool-worthy dish worth eating with hot parathas fried in ghee or even with different types of naan.

Palak-corn paneer

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • Palak
  • Cubed paneer
  • Boiled corn
  • Chopped ginger
  • Chopped garlic
  • Chopped green chillies
  • Ghee
  • Cumin seeds
  • Bay leaves (Tej patta)
  • Chopped onion
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Turmeric powder
  • Red-chilli powder
  • Asafoetida
  • Garam masala
  • Salt
  • Whipped cream
  • Dry fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi)
  • Lemon
  • Charcoal

Recipe

  • Begin by blanching the spinach leaves in boiled water for a few minutes.
  • Once done, transfer the spinach leaves to a bowl of chilled cold water, preferably with ice cubes. This process will help the leaves retain their green colour, and therefore, the gravy will also offer a rich green texture.
  • Once the leaves have turned cold, in a blender, blend the leaves with ginger, garlic, and green chillies—keep the smooth paste aside.
  • In a pan, heat dollops of ghee.
  • Add cumin seeds and bay leaves and let it temper.
  • Follow by adding chopped onion, tomatoes, and garlic.
  • After they are cooked and mushy, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and asafoetida.
  • Cook the masalas and add the spinach puree.
  • Simmer it, and while doing so, add water to get it to the consistency you like. A semi-gravy consistency is how it should be.
  • Add the cubed paneer pieces to the gravy.
  • Now add garam masala, salt, and whipped cream to balance the taste of the gravy.
  • Garnish with loads of boiled corn and a little bit of kasturi methi.
  • Finish by drizzling a few drops of lemon juice and ginger juliennes.
  • Note that one can also fry the pieces of paneer before adding them to the gravy.
  • There’s one last important step one needs to do to elevate the recipe.
  • Heat the charcoal until it gets red.
  • Place a steel bowl with ghee in it in the middle of the paneer gravy.
  • Drop the red-hot charcoal in the steel bowl and cover the gravy with a lid.
  • This step will help the gravy soak up a smoky flavour and turn the palak-corn gravy into a restaurant-style dish.

Serve the palak-corn paneer gravy with parathas fried in ghee or different types of naan. End the meal with hot gulab jamuns or hot jalebis topped with chilled rabri.