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keto spinach recipes

Restaurant Style Palak Paneer Recipe

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Palak Paneer Recipe Restaurant Style

Palak paneer recipe restaurant style

Palak paneer as the name says it all, the hero ingredients are palak or spinach leaves and paneer or Indian cottage cheese. This is one of the most loved dish in India. This belongs to North Indian cuisine but it’s not restricted to only North India. I love making this as many time as you ask . This is super healthy dish as well.

Protein rich Palak Paneer

Winters is a season when we get maximum green leafy vegetables. And you get all nutrition from these healthy super foods. Spinach or palak is a source of protein and iron. I use homemade paneer for any such dish I make. Read my post on how to make paneer at home in 15 minutes.

This is such an easy recipe, I just love this super yummy palak paneer. When we crave for palak paneer, we normally prefer to order from restaurant. The reason may be time factor and taste also. But trust me you make this recipe once at home, you will love to make this healthy dish every time. I do make this at home only every time I feel to have some delicious palak paneer restaurant style or dhaba style. More than anything, you will make best quality dish.

Look at the color and texture. I’m totally in love with my palak paneer.

It’s just like some other curry preparation but only exception is blanch palak and puree it. Then add to the curry paste. Shallow fry paneer cubes and mix them to the gravy. It doesn’t take extra 10 minutes than regular curry preparation. I do take extra 20 minutes since I make that to prepare my paneer cubes at home.

Homemade Paneer
Palak Paneer Recipe
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5 from 1 vote

Restaurant Style Palak Paneer

Palak paneer is a healthy and delicious dish made from paneer cubes cooked in spinach based gravy.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Leafy Special, Main Course, Paneer Special
Cuisine: Indian, North Indian
Keyword: Easy Less than 30 minutes Recipe, green leafy vegetables, Protein Rich Food, Spinach Recipes
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 380kcal
Author: Ipsa Faujdar

Ingredients

  • 1 cup paneer cubes
  • 2 bunch palak/ spinach leaves
  • 2 onion
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 5 garlic pods
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Preparing Paneer

  • If you are using store brought paneer, dip them in warm water for 5 minutes to make them softer. After remove from water and keep on dry plate for 1 minute before frying.
  • Shallow fry the paneer cubes till it’s golden in color. Do in low flame.
  • Keep aside for further use.

Preparing Palak Gravy

  • Wash and clean palak leaves properly.
  • Blanch it in hot water for 3 – 5 minutes. Don’t over cook.
  • Strain out the leaves with help of a colander. 
  • Wash it with regular tap water to stop over cooking. This will retain the colour of green leaves.
  • Then squeeze out leaves lightly and put it in a blender.
  • Add 3 cloves of garlic, 1 green chilli and Puree it completely.
  • Now heat 4 tbsp oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic.
  • Add finely chopped onion and saute till onion translucent.
  • Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a minute.
  • Then add all dry spices and mix well.
  • If required add 1 – 2 tbsp water and mix well.
  • Then add tomato puree and saute till it’s cooked completely and leaves oil.
  • Now add spinach puree to the pan and mix well.
  • Add 1 cup water and cook the mixture for another 3 – 5 minutes. 

Final Step of Palak Paneer

  • Once you see the spinach puree is cooked, add fried paneer cubes to it and cook for a minute or two.
  • Add a pinch of garam masala but this is optional. You may skip this step.
  • Palak paneer is ready. Serve with naan, roti or even with rice. 

Notes

Use fresh paneer for best result.
Keep it in warm water for 5 – 10 minutes to make them soft.
Don’t blanch paneer for more than 2 – 4 minutes.
After removing from hot water wash it immediately with cold water to stop excess cooking.
You can take soft and tender stems of spinach also. but cut them if it’s hard and tight one.
The gravy does not require any thickening agent like flour or cream. You can add cream in the end for taste. I have not added any cream in this recipe.
 
 

Well, while posting this recipe, I came across one palak paneer recipe on Swasthi’s Kitchen. In the recipe I liked how instead of blanching, she initially sauteed the spinach leaves and then pureed it. That is also a great idea. Saute with garlic and then puree that to a fine paste. I ll try this method next time.

How to Make Palak Paneer

Step I

Take Paneer cubes (home made or store bought) and shallow fry them till golden brown.

Take out and keep separately for further use.

Step II

Wash and blanch spinach leaves for 3 – 5 minutes.

Run fresh water on it to stop excess cooking.

Transfer to a blender. Add garlic cloves and green chilli along with palak.

Make a fine puree of this.

Step III

Heat oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and saute for a minute.

Add chopped onion, ginger garlic paste and saute till translucent.

Then add all spices mentioned in ingredient list and mix well adding a tbsp water.

Now Add tomato puree and mix well. Cook till it’s cooked and leaves oil in surrounding.

Season with salt. mix well.

Add spinach puree & add 1 cup of water and mix well.

Cook for another 3 minutes and then add garam masala.

Step IV

Now add fried paneer cubes to the gravy.

Mix well and cook for 2 minutes more.

Palak paneer is ready. Serve hot with roti or rice.

If you like this restaurant style palak paneer, then please read other similar posts Restaurant Style Paneer Tikka Masala, Punjabi Sarson ka Masala, Matar Paneer, Dum Aloo, Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi, Rajma Masala, Bhindi Do Pyaza.

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Authentic Palak Paneer

Keto Spinach Soup

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Keto Soupy Spinach/ Spinach Soup

“Because I Love Spinach”

Indian Keto Spinach Recipe

This leafy vegetable is full of nutrition, vitamins and minerals. Its rich in calcium and recommended for our bone health. It’s loaded with every good thing that our body needs.

Spinach recipes are very easy to make. Even in plain sauteed form it tastes delicious. It doesn’t take 5 minutes to get cooked. so when you are in hurry and want to make yourself some thing fresh and healthy, try this sauteed spinach recipe. Try my simple yet most popular butter garlic sauteed spinach for keto recipe.

How to make soupy spinach?

Normally while cooking spinach in dry sauteed form, never add water to it. Because they release lot of water while cooking. If you add additional water it will be mashy. One trick is wash and clean the leaves and then air dry them and store. Cut it just before you are going to cook them. In this way they release little less water or no additional water will get added in method of rinsing and cleaning the leaves. In my version of soupy spinach, I have not dried them before as i wanted it in soupy form.

While making any spinach soup we puree it to fine paste. but I wanted to have that bites of spinach along with it’s flavorful juice. Also I have added eggplant/ aubergine to the dish.

This is a simple soup recipe with minimal ingredients. I have used only salt and garlic for this soup and yet it’s delicious. Simplicity at it’s best.

Keto Spinach recipe

Other Spinach Recipes

Another magic of the flavor of spinach is that it does not need any other spices to make it scrumptious. However it blends with garlic so well that only use of garlic is enough for this. How ever you can add other spices as well but the simple recipe is the best version to me. Palak also tastes great as gravy base in many curries and biryani etc. Read my bestever palak paneer and punjabi sarson ka saag recipe on blog.

While kneading wheat flour for chapati (flat breads) or Poori, I add 1/2 cup blanched and pureed spinach juice. This adds so many nutrition to the plain chapati. When your kid is a fussy eater you may try making this colourful poori or paratha. I have tried this for my baby and he loves this variety too much and at the same time he is having all the nutrition that’s required for his growth and development. Isn’t it a great idea?

Read more spinach recipes:

You can have this as weight loss soup specially for dinner and its so filling that you will not crave for anything else. Its also a diabetic friendly food. 

Let’s make this yummy soupy spinach.

Keto Soupy Spinach
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Keto Soupy Spinach For This Summer

This is an easy to cook keto spinach recipe. It's a simple spinach soup prepared with minimal ingredients.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Keto Recipe, Leafy Special, Main Dish, Sabzi & Curry
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Easy Less than 30 minutes Recipe, Healthy Soups
Servings: 4 People
Author: Ipsa

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 bunch Palak Washed and chopped
  • 2 Brinjal/ Aubergine cut into quarters (250 gms)
  • 10 - 12 Garlic buds crushed
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (or as per taste)
  • 1 Green Chilli

Instructions

  • Wash and clean the spinach properly and chop them finely.
  • Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once oil is hot add cumin seeds and let it crackle. 
  • Add garlic and green chillies. Saute for a minute till garlic is light brown in color and is aromatic.
  • Add diced eggplants and chopped spinach leaves. Season with salt.
  • Saute on high flame for a minute. Then add 1/4 cup water and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes check consistency of spinach dish. Turn off heat and serve piping hot spinach soup.
  • If you like, you can blend this to puree also.

Notes

If you are not following keto diet, you can add onion and tomatoes also to it.

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Keto Spinach Soup
Soupy Spinach Recipe
Keto Recipe Spinach