Authentic Punjabi Saag Paneer (Best Indian Palak Recipe)
Bursting with the amazing flavors of mustard greens, spinach, and aromatic Indian spices, this Saag Paneer is a popular Indian Winter Recipe. Cubes of Paneer dunked in this green color gravy made from fresh leafy greens taste heavenly and is a perfect Dinner or lunch recipe for cold winters.
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Hand blender or a food processor
- 1 Colander
- 1 large pot washing the fresh greens
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped mustard greens (Sarson) 200 gm Mustard Greens
- 18 cups chopped spinach leaves 600 gm Spinach leaves (Palak)
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 2 cups Paneer Cubes 400 gm Paneer (Indian cottage Cheese)
- 2 teaspoon red chili powder adjust the heat
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Amchur powder (dry mango powder) swap with lemon juice (2 tsp)
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 2 medium tomato roughly chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1-2 small green chili adjust the heat
- salt as per taste
Instructions
- Roughly chop the mustard leaves and spinach leaves. Wash them by soaking them in a large utensil for 1 minute and transferring them to the colander for washing directly under the tap. Make sure to wash them properly and remove old worn-out leaves and mud. Let them sit in a colander while you prep other veggies.Remember NOT to add any water for pressure cooking. The fresh greens leave the water by themselves and need no water or else they would taste very bitter.
- Roughly chop onion, garlic and tomatoes. We would boil everything together in a pressure cooker. In a large pressure cooker, add the sorted, washed, and drained fresh greens. Top them with chopped onion, tomato, garlic, and green chili. You may switch on the flame while doing this as greens take up a lot of space in any utensil. But if the flame is on, you would be able to press them down easily.Pressure cook for two whistles on full flame and then cook on slow flame for 10 minutes.
- Let the cooker cool off and release pressure. Blend the boiled greens to a smooth puree. I have used a hand blender. You may use a food processor but make sure to cool off the boiled greens before blending.In a heavy-bottomed wok (or a large pot), add ghee, and once the ghee is hot, add spices. To the warm spices. add the spinach mustard paste and let it cook on low flame. It will splutter so suggest you cover it with a lid and keep sauteing. Cook for 15 min or till water is absorbed.
- Cut paneer into cubes and add to the cooked greens. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes or till water released from Paneer is absorbed.
- Serve the delicious Saag Paneer hot with rice or bread, and savor its authentic flavors.
Notes
- The Spinach mustard paste when cooked in a wok will splutter. Make sure to cover the wok with a lid or use a pot with height.
- The greens when raw tend to take up a lot of space in any utensil and shrunk when they are cooked. When you add the chopped spinach to the pressure cooker, you may switch on the flame so that it can be pressed down to add onion, etc.
- Make sure NOT to add any water for pressure cooking. Fresh greens leave water and need no water for cooking or else the saag will taste bitter.
- Cool off the boiled greens before blending if you are using a food processor.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 bowl | |
| Servings: 5 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 255 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 18.3g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat 3.3g | 16% |
| Cholesterol 13mg | 4% |
| Sodium 163mg | 7% |
| Total Carbohydrate 10.9g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.9g | 17% |
| Total Sugars 1.6g | |
| Protein 18.1g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 179mg | 14% |
| Iron 4mg | 23% |
| Potassium 862mg | 18% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |