Dark leafy greens like spinach are important for skin and hair, bone health, and provides protein, iron, vitamins and minerals.The possible health benefits of consuming spinach include improving blood glucose control in diabetics, lowering the risk of cancer, lowering blood pressure, improving bone health, lowering the risk of developing asthma and more. Usually we wont get palak in our house. We will always go for other green leafy vegetables like thandu keerai, vendhaya keerai, etc., As I mentioned in my Paneer butter Masala always I will order paneer butter masala whenever we go the hotel. But I have tasted this recipe when I was very young. So I wanted to try this recipe at home. This recipe is not so difficult as it sounds. It is a rich gravy that can be served when you arrange for a party at home. This goes best with all types of roti and jeera rice. I made this at home and my husband liked it a lot.
INGREDIENTS
Spinach(Palak) – 2 bunches
Paneer/Cottage cheese – 250 gms
Onions – 2
Tomatoes – 4
Green chillies – 2
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Garam masala – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – A pinch
Fresh Cream – 2 tbsp
Salt – To taste
- Separate the leaves and stem of the spinach. Throw off the thick stem.
- Wash it thoroughly with the water to remove the mud or any particles in it.
- Now in a vessel, add the water and bring it to boil. Add the spinach into it and cook for 5 minutes.
- The spinach would have become very tender and soft.
- Grind it to a smooth paste and keep aside.
- Similarly wash and grind the tomatoes and make puree out of it.
- Chop the onions into small pieces.
- In a pan or kadai, add butter and saute the onions until they turn golden brown in colour.
- Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.
- Now add the tomato puree and cook it in medium flame. Add green chillies, garam masala, turmeric powder, salt and stir till the oil separates from the gravy.
- Now add the spinach paste and allow it to cook until the colour of the spinach turns from dark green to brownish green colour.
- Add water to adjust the consistency.
- Finally add the fresh cream and the paneer cubes into the gravy.
- Serve as side dish for roti, jeera rice, naan, rumali roti.
Note: You can either grind the green chillies with ginger garlic or can add by slitting it.
