Saag Paneer Recipe
A classic vegetarian dish with spinach and chunks of Indian cottage cheese (paneer). Fresh tasting and vibrant green in colour, it’s ideally eaten as a side dish to other contrasting curries. ‘Saag’ in Hindi means ‘leafy vegetable’, so can refer to spinach, coriander, fenugreek/methi, etc. The dish is also commonly known as ‘palak’ paneer, with ‘palak’ specifically meaning spinach. You can make your own paneer instead of buying it if you wish. The shop-bought version tends to be a safer bet, as it’s consistently firm and holds its shape well.
This saag paneer recipe is from my award-winning cookbooks Curry Compendium and Indian Restaurant Curry at Home Volume 2. As with most of my recipes, there’s an accompanying YouTube tutorial video, which you can find below.
Books by Richard Sayce
INGREDIENTS
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60ml Oil
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180g Paneer
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150-180g fresh Spinach, including stalks. Frozen blocks of Spinach (defrosted) can be used instead
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3-4 TBSP fresh Coriander, including the stalks
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1-2 Green Chillies (optional)
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½ tsp Cumin Seeds
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1 Bay Leaf (optional). Tej Patta (Asian Bay) preferred, but a few ‘normal’ smaller bay leaves may be used instead
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75-90g Onion, very finely chopped
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1½ tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
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1 tsp Kasuri Methi
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¾ tsp Mix Powder
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¼ tsp Garam Masala
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½ tsp Salt
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4 TBSP Tomato Paste
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275-300ml+ Base Gravy
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1 tsp Sugar
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1 tsp Lemon Juice or 1 tsp Mint Sauce
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75-100ml Single Cream
METHOD
- Using a sharp knife cut the paneer into cubes approximately 2-3cm in width.
- In a non-stick frying pan on medium high heat, add 1 TBSP of the oil (15ml) and fry the paneer until browned on several sides. Turn the cubes during cooking but be careful not to break them. Place them aside on kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
- Wilt the spinach in a pan with a little water, then blend it with the fresh coriander and optional green chillies to form a smooth paste. Use a little oil or water to help blending if required.
- Add the remainder (3 TBSP, 45ml) of the oil to your usual curry frying pan on medium high heat.
- Throw in the cumin seeds and Asian bay leaf (if using), then fry for 30-45 seconds or until the cumin seeds start crackling.
- Now add the onion and continue frying for 1-2 minutes until soft and translucent, but not browned. Stir occasionally.
- Add the ginger/garlic paste. Fry for 30-45 seconds or until the sizzling subsides and the paste is just starting to brown very slightly.
- Then add the kasuri methi, mix powder, garam masala, and salt.
- Fry for about 20-30 seconds, stirring diligently. If the powders start to stick to the pan, add a splash of base gravy (e.g. 30ml) to prevent burning and to give the spices long enough to cook correctly.
- Turn up the heat to high and add the tomato paste. Stir in and leave to fry 30 seconds or so to bring out the tomato flavour. You should notice a bit of oil floating on the surface.
- Next add the first 75ml of base gravy and stir into the sauce. Leave for 30–40 seconds, or until small craters have formed and caramelisation is visible on the sides of the frying pan.
- Now add a second 75ml base gravy and repeat the previous stage.
- Then add the spinach/coriander/chilli paste, paneer cubes, lemon juice or mint sauce, sugar, along with a third 75ml of base gravy. Scrape and stir the contents of the frying pan well.
- Leave to cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes, adding extra base gravy or water during cooking to maintain a medium consistency. Resist fiddling with it: let the sauce stick and caramelise further, but don’t let it burn.
- Next, turn the heat down and add 75-100ml single cream. Return heat to high once mixed in. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes, until the sauce reduces to a medium consistency.
- Taste, and if desired add a little sugar, lemon/mint, and/or extra salt, to taste.
- Serve, sprinkling on fresh coriander and optionally drizzle with a little extra cream. Place a single raw spinach leaf in the centre for extra green bling!
Watch the Video
NOTES
- All spoon measurements are level (1 tsp = 5ml, 1 TBSP = 15ml).
- The saag paneer should have a vibrant green colour naturally given by the spinach and contrasted by the whiteness of the cheese.
- Enjoy this saag paneer recipe as a side dish or even as a main course. It goes well with rice or breads.
