You stand there, triumphant, watching as the paneer cubes float serenely in a sea of green, soaking up every ounce of flavor like they were born for this moment. You try to resist poking them with the spoon—breaking the paneer now would feel like a betrayal after everything you’ve been through together. Just a few more minutes on low heat, and Saag Paneer will be ready for its grand debut. But the journey to this moment? Oh, it was far from smooth.
It wasn’t long ago that you were cautiously tossing the paneer into the pan, praying to the kitchen gods that it wouldn’t crumble under the pressure. You gave it a gentle stir, like you were handling fragile treasure—because in a way, you were. There’s no coming back from broken paneer, after all.
Before that delicate maneuver, you had your moment with the fenugreek leaves and garam masala. With a flourish, you added them to the pot like a seasoned magician adding the final touch to a spell. The kitchen filled with the intoxicating aroma of spices, and you had to remind yourself not to start dancing around like a contestant on a cooking show. Focus—you still had spinach to deal with.
Ah yes, the spinach. Remember when you tossed it into that boiling water? It went in looking like it had its life together, only to come out 60 seconds later looking like it had been through a personal crisis. You drained it quickly, though, saving it from further trauma. Then came the blender, where you hit it with two or three pulses, just enough to make it think twice before getting too comfortable. Any more and you would’ve ended up with green soup instead of saag.
The tomatoes were no better. They fought valiantly as you added them to the pan, clinging to their shape like they didn’t know what was coming. But you, armed with coriander powder and salt, were relentless. Four minutes later, they were mashed into submission, fully cooked and part of the onion-ginger-garlic alliance.
Speaking of onions, remember that heroic battle you waged? You fried those diced onions with the skill of a kitchen warrior, sprinkling salt over them like some sort of alchemical spell to speed up the browning. The ginger-garlic paste and green chilies joined the fray, sizzling alongside the onions until they, too, had turned a light brown. You were on fire at this point, metaphorically speaking, but also dangerously close to literally speaking because that oil was HOT.
But we both know where this saga began: a thick-bottomed non-stick pan, some innocent oil, and a dream. You had no idea what lay ahead, just a recipe and a vision. Now, here you are, about to serve Saag Paneer that not only looks incredible but also smells like victory. You know that you could server it with Indian flatbread (“roti”), rice or “naan,” but basking in the glory of your accomplishment, you decide to dish it up and have it by itself. You’ve earned it.
Ingredients
10 oz bag of Spinach leaves or 1 bunch Spinach
8 oz block of Paneer
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup Diced Red Onions
2 tsp Ginger-garlic Paste
1/2 cup Diced/Crushed/Pureed Tomatoes
1-2 Green Chillies (optional, add more if you would like it spicier)
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves (“Kasuri Methi”)
3/4 tsp Sea Salt (adjust to taste)
Yield: 4 servings
Preparation
Cut up the Paneer into 1 cm cubes and put aside. IMPORTANT: If the Paneer is tough, which can happen if you’re not using fresh-made Paneer, then soak the cubes in hot water for about 30 minutes to soften them.
Cooking
1. In a thick-bottomed non-stick pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the diced onions and fry until they turn turn light brown; about 6-8 minutes. TIP: Sprinkle some salt on the onions to speed up the browning.
2. Add the Ginger-garlic paste and the Green Chillies and fry until it turns light brown; about 1 minute.
3. Add the Tomatoes and the Coriander Powder and Salt and cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes are mashed up indicating they are cooked.
4. Prepare the Spinach: Bring water to a boil in a pot and add the Spinach. Boil for a maximum of 1 minute; the Spinach leaves lose their moisture and become wilted and turn a bright green color. Drain the Spinach and coarsely blend it – it just needs 2-3 pulses in a blender. I use a hand blender for the convenience. TIP: Prepare the Spinach when you’re ready to add it to the pot. If you do prepare it in advance, then I recommend you dunk it in a ice water bath to stop the cooking; this will also help preserve the green color.
5. Add in the pureed Spinach and mix well to blend in the onion-tomato base.
6. Add the Garam Masala and Dried Fenugreek Leaves and mix them into the Spinach.
7. Add the Paneer cubes and mix, taking care to not break the Paneer.
8. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on low heat to allow the Paneer to soak in the flavors – Saag Paneer is ready to serve.
Enjoy and curry on!
- 10 oz bag of Spinach leaves or 1 bunch Spinach
- 8 oz block of Paneer
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 cup Diced Red Onions
- 2 tsp Ginger-garlic Paste
- ½ cup Diced/Crushed/Pureed Tomatoes
- 1-2 Green Chillies (optional, add more if you would like it spicier)
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves ("Kasuri Methi")
- ¾ tsp Sea Salt (adjust to taste)
- Prepare the Paneer: Cut up the Paneer into 1 cm cubes and put aside. IMPORTANT: If you're using Paneer that is not fresh (store bought or refrigerated for a few days) then before cutting it up soak it in hot water for 30-45 minutes until it is soft. Drain out all the water and dry it up before cutting into cubes.
- Add the oil to a non-stick pan on medium heat. When the oil is hot add the diced onions. Fry the onions for about 8-10 minutes, they should be soft and starting to turn light brown.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and the green chillies and fry until the raw aroma of the ginger diminishes.
- Add the tomatoes and the coriander powder and salt and cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked.
- Prepare the Spinach: Bring water to a boil in a pot and add the Spinach. Boil for about 2 minutes until the Spinach is all wilted and drain the Spinach in a colander. You need to coarsely blend it and my preference is to use a Hand Blender for the convenience. Don't blend into a fine paste, just 2-3 pulses and you'll see the Spinach pureed with some larger pieces mixed in there.
- Add in the pureed Spinach and mix well to blend in the onion-tomato base.
- Add the garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves and mix them into the Spinach.
- Add the Paneer cubes and mix them into the Spinach taking care to not break the cubes.
- Cook for about 4-5 minutes on low heat so that the Paneer can soak in the flavors and delicious Saag Paneer is ready!
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The fenugreek leaves with spinach makes a flavorful recipe.
Yep! Mustard greens with spinach are also a great combination…
Can I substitute fesh ginger and garlic for ginger/garlic paste? And how much of each?
Are green chiles anaheim chillies?
Yes. You can match the total quantity of ginger-garlic paste in the recipe with equal parts of ginger and garlic. The closest green chilly used in Indian recipes to that found in the US is Thai chili. The purpose of the chilly is to add a bit of heat and you can also use jalapeños or similar.