One of the best things about making these videos with Mummy-ji is that it has given us something to connect over. As I’m still struggling to learn Hindi, Mummy-ji and I cannot say much to each other. How do you bond with someone when you can’t talk and joke with them? It’s been a tricky situation and one I often struggle with as I would love to be close with her. Spending everyday in the kitchen, hovering over her shoulder or under her elbow has certainly helped to bring us closer together. Before I publish a new video, I always show it to Mummy-ji so she can see the results of our work together. I love to see the smile that spreads across her face when Hubby and I share with her the comments and emails so many people send us about how they enjoy her videos and recipes and how they love watching her cook. I can tell she takes a lot of pride and joy in the appreciation she has received here, so thank you to everyone who has shared their enthusiasm.
Are you ready for the next video? I thought I would end the suspense and make Palak Paneer, as it has been requested by so many readers. If you enjoy the video, write us a comment, and if you try out the recipe yourself, Mummy-ji especially would enjoy hearing how it went (Hubby will be nearby to translate).
Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes INGREDIENTS PART 1: 2 POUNDS SPINACH 3 SMALL ONIONS (or 1 large) 1 INCH GINGER, PEELED 1 HEAD GARLIC, PEELED 4 GREEN CHILIES 3 TOMATOES 1 CUP WATER 1 TEASPOON SALT 1/2 TEASPOON TURMERIC 1 ONION 10 CLOVES GARLIC, PEELED 1 HANDFUL CILANTRO 4 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE OIL 1 TABLESPOON GARAM MASALA 1/4 TEASPOON TURMERIC 14 OUNCES PANEER METHOD 1. WASH Thoroughly wash the two bunches of spinach. 2. CHOP Roughly chop the three onions, peeled ginger and tomatoes. Add them to the pot along with the whole garlic cloves and the green chilies. Roughly chop the washed spinach and add it to the pot. 3. BOIL Add 1 cup of water to the pot along with 1 teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. Cover and boil for 10 minutes on medium high. If you are using a pressure cooker, boil for 8 whistles. 4. BLEND Remove the pot from the heat and strain away the water. Keep the water aside for later. Blend the cooked vegetables into a smooth paste. 5. CHOP Finely chop 1 onion, 10 cloves of peeled garlic and a handful of cilantro. To save time, this can be done while the spinach and vegetables are boiling. 6. FRY Heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add the chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Add the chopped onion and cook for another five minutes, until the onion turns light golden brown. 7. ADD THE SPICES & BLENDED VEGETABLES Once the onion turns light golden brown, add 1 tablespoon of garam masala and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric. Add the blended vegetables along with the strained water. Add the chopped cilantro. Give it a stir and cook over medium heat while you prepare the paneer. 8. PREPARE THE PANEER Chop the paneer into bite-size squares and add to the pot. 9. COOK Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes, until the paneer is soft enough to break easily with a spoon. 10. SERVE You can serve the palak paneer along with a couple of freshly made chapatis. If you want to be extra traditional, add a spoonful of ghee to a serving of palak paneer and mix it in. After all, a spoonful of ghee makes everything taste better.MUMMY-JI’S
PALAK PANEER RECIPE
PART 2:
PART 1
PART 2
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Hi! My name is Colleen
Hi there! I'm Colleen. I'm a girl from sunny Santa Cruz, California who married a Punjabi boy from Bombay. These are the stories, recipes and photos of our adventures together as I've learned about, and fallen in love with, Indian culture...as well as taught Hubby a thing or two about my American ways of doing things. Pull up a chair and enjoy!
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so yummy and healthy dish
Thanks Veena. I must admit though, it would be healthier without the dollop of ghee at the end.
This is the best ever recipe of Palak Paneer so far. Kudos to your MIL!
Thanks! That made my day
Hey Colleen, I had to make palak paneer. It was so good! Head over and take a look.
Great news! So glad to hear it came out well. And thank you for the wonderful article on your blog, it is so sweet. Blogging is a great way to meet new friends in distant places
Cool video..palak paneer is my favorite! How did you know>?
Thanks Ed, I thought it might be…who doesn’t love Palak Paneer?
Colleen, just wanted to let you know that my Mom tried the Palak Paneer from your blog and they all simply loved it:)
How wonderful!
Thanks, I just came back from India and I am determined to cook some dishes I loved, including this one.
Hi Deb – Let me know how it turns out. I would love to hear more about your India trip. How long were you there and where did you travel?
Hi Colleen,
..by “1 head” of garlic, do you mean an 1 entire garlic?
-Amitha
Hi Amitha – Yes, it’s one entire garlic. Mummy-ji tends to use a full head of garlic rather than a specific amount. But you could say “8 cloves” as a good estimate. If the head of garlic is 7 cloves, or 10 cloves, it doesn’t matter too much.
If you try out the recipe, I would love to hear how it goes
wow, lovely video. Mummyji’s hands are soo pretty, and so fast and neat with the chopping.
will be trying out this recipe in a few minutes. will tell you how it turned out.
Regards,
Amita.
HI Amitha,
I can’t wait to hear how it goes! I made this dish this week and it was the best palak paneer I have ever made. I needed to double the recipe, and many times when I double a recipe, the flavor suffers a bit. So this time I split the recipe into two pots, rather than cooking it all together. I made sure I followed every amount perfectly and it came out so tasty. You will love it.
Hi Colleen,
The palak paneer turned out very tasty. I was apprehensive about steaming the onions, tomatoes etc. all together because in India we traditionally first fry the onions and then put the tomatoes, never together. they say tomato doesn’t let the other vegetables cook. :-S
But i told myself this is an authentic punjabi recipe and watching mummyji cook it that way in the video gave me more confidence.
The taste was perfect, my husband loved it.I am newly married and want to impress my husband with my cooking. I was so happy to see him enjoy the dish.
Only my paneer dint turn out as soft as I wanted it to, it was a little hard and rubber. My friend said I should boil the paneer first and then add it to the sabzi. Any tips from you?
(sorry for the delay in posting comments. posting comments is blocked in office and could not find time to do it at home. Today, we ordered in, so making use of the free time.
)
Thanks,
Amitha
Hi Amitha – Yay!!! I am so happy it came out great. I just made this dish this week and I also suprised myself. I had made it a few times before but I did not follow the recipe exactly and it was only okay. This time however I measured everything out and it came out so good. Best Palak Paneer I ever made.
I am so happy it was a success for you. I know what you mean about the paneer and there is a great tip from a reader. Ansh from the blog SpiceRoots did a guest post on paneer pizza and said to boil the paneer in half milk – half water for a few minutes and then let it soak until you are ready to add it to the dish. Check out her great post, her paneer tips are near the end.