Plan your whole week in seconds
Try it free
Saag Paneer
Creamy pureed spinach with golden fried paneer cubes — the vegetarian jewel of Punjabi cuisine.
15 mins
30 mins
4 people
Indian (Punjabi)
Fresh spinach
600g
Paneer
Cubed
300g
Onion
Finely diced
1 large
Garlic
Minced
5 cloves
Ginger
Minced
1 inch
Green chilies
2
Tomatoes
Chopped
2
Cumin seeds
1 tsp
Garam masala
1 tsp
Turmeric
1/2 tsp
Heavy cream
3 tbsp
Ghee or butter
3 tbsp
Lemon juice
1 tbsp
🍽️ Rendered dairy fat (ghee)
→ Butter with a touch of oil (prevents burning)
Very close to ghee's flavor profile
Blanch spinach in boiling water 2 minutes. Ice bath immediately, then blend to a smooth purée.
💡 Pro Tip: Ice bath locks in the bright green color. Spinach that is not shocked turns army-green.
Fry paneer cubes in ghee until golden on all sides. Remove and set aside.
💡 Pro Tip: Don't skip frying the paneer. Raw paneer is rubbery; fried paneer has a golden crust that absorbs the sauce.
In the same pan, temper cumin seeds in ghee. Add onion, cook until golden.
💡 Pro Tip: Deeply golden onions are the flavor base of all North Indian gravies — pale onion = pale flavor.
Add garlic, ginger, green chili, tomatoes, turmeric. Cook until oil separates.
💡 Pro Tip: Oil separating from the masala is the visual cue that the base is cooked and ready.
Add spinach purée, simmer 5 minutes. Fold in paneer and cream. Season and finish with garam masala.
💡 Pro Tip: Garam masala added at the end retains its aromatics. Added early, it loses complexity.
- ✓Ice-bath the spinach for vibrant green color
- ✓Fry the paneer first — golden crust makes all the difference
- ✓Cook until oil separates from masala before adding spinach
- ✓Garam masala goes in at the end
- →With butter naan
- →With jeera rice
- →As part of a North Indian thali