Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer or Indian creamed spinach and paneer curry, no matter what I call it, it is a deliciousand easy spinach and Indian cheese main course currywhich I always order in one of my favorite Indian restaurant!
Oh, yes! Even though I cook and have shared many Saag recipes on the blog.... I'm always impressed when someoneshares a delicious plate of my fav food with me. So, this recipe is re-take on my own palak paneer recipe... to give it that restaurant-style taste, texture,and aroma!
For vegetarians, Saag Paneer is always one of the main vegetarian choice in Indian Buffets/Eateries. If you have ever ordered veggie thali (plate), I bet youare not new to flavor of that creamy Saag Paneer.
Oh, and there is nothing special needed to make this curry. Other than obvious spinach and paneer (or tofu if you like), rest everything is very pantry-friendly. No special preps here, it's all in the style of cooking!
As a kid, I have vivid memories of eating Palak Paneer (this is what we call it in my home) every few days. Even after being from meat-lovers family, (both parents and in-laws), there are still few days in week when we don't eat meat due to religious reasons. So those days if anyone is not ready to eat grass-food (that's what Vishal calls a vegetarian meal), then votes are counted for Paneer (the fav Indian cheese). And Saag Paneer is one of THE most obvious choice.
I have shared many Saag recipes on blog already but most pictures were taken at night and are so old. My old day favorites when I had no clue how pictures should look.... Though all of those spinach/palak curry taste very good and are regular in my home. If you are in mood to eat Indian for dinner, check a few of those recipes here.
So, this Saag Paneer is actually adaptation my own recipe.
We have an Indian Market near our area where we go for most of our Indian groceries. One restaurant in that area makes killer Saag Paneer! I mean so so good that if we get there during lunch time, I have to eat a Thali (Indian Plate of food) with special Saag Paneer. Inspired from that recipe, I updated my recipe to taste just like thatRestaurant's palak paneer.
It took me few attempts but picky eater in my home loved it. :)
Blanched Spinach Vs Raw Spinach for Saag Paneer?
I have always cooked Saag Paneer with blanched (or in home-style - boiled) palak. The main difference in restaurant's saag paneer is that it is not pureed like I used make at home. So, first I thought, may be I can use raw spinach and then leave it chunky for this version of saag paneer.
That attempt was an epic failure! Raw spinach has this bitter after taste that after even being cooked in curry I could taste it. So it did not pass my kitchen-level test. However, I served it for dinner that night since had planned for dinner. To my surprise Vishal actually enjoyed the curry. He did not get any bitter taste.
Conclusion? May be I have too sensitive palate or batch of palak I used was bitter.... I recommend boiling the palak/spinach before using in this recipe. However, if you are in hurry and love spinach no mater what? Then go ahead and use it raw. It saves lot of time.
PS: You can also use frozen spinach for this recipe. Surprisingly, frozen spinach works perfectly without any pre-cooking.
Variations:
Other than using boiled/thawed greens, Saag Paneer is very forgiving by nature. You can really make many variations.
1) Replace paneer with tofu, corn, soy nuggets or even chicken/lamb if you eat non-vegetarian.
2) You can even use mustard greens or kale instead of spinach.
I have following recipes on blog featuring Spinach or Mustard Saag:
1. Palak Corn
2. Palak Paneer
3. Palak Soy Nuggets
3. Palak and Mustard Green Saag
Health Benefits and Diet Info:
Now, I can't finish this postwithout sharing a few words about health benefits of this Indian Curry. With vegetarian protein from Indian Paneer (or tofu if using), it also has abundance of calcium, iron,folate andalso Vitamin-C.A serving of saag paneer will serve at-leastone good(or two) serving of veggies.
Also, this recipe is Gluten Free and can be vegan if you use tofu and replace cream with coconut milk.
That much and it is still an easy vegetarian main course!
So, friends! This time, ditch the delivery and order Restaurant Style Saag Paneer from your own kitchen! :)
oh, and don't forget to serve Indian Naan bread on the side!
Try this recipe and makePaneerat home to use in Palak Paneer. It tastes fresh and better than store-bought.
