Why this recipe works
This dish is a small nutrition lesson on a plate. Paneer brings a complete, high-quality protein and calcium; spinach brings iron, folate and vitamin K. The catch is that spinach's iron is the poorly-absorbed plant kind, held back by its own oxalates, which is exactly why the tomato and the finishing lemon matter: their vitamin C converts that iron into a form your body takes up far better. Two more tricks keep it right, blanch the spinach briefly so it stays vivid green and loses a little oxalate, and add the paneer late so it stays soft rather than rubbery.
Ingredients
- Spinach (palak)300 g
- Paneer, cubed200 g
- Onion, chopped1
- Tomato, chopped1
- Ginger-garlic + green chilli1 tbsp + 1
- Cumin + garam masala1 tsp + ½ tsp
- Ghee or oil, salt1 tbsp
- Lemon + a little curd or cream½ + 2 tbsp
Method
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1
Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, then plunge it into cold water. Drain and blend to a smooth purée.
Why blanch and chill: a quick blanch deactivates the enzyme that dulls the colour, keeping the purée vivid green, and trims a little oxalate. The cold plunge stops it overcooking and losing folate.
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2
Heat the ghee, add the cumin, then the onion, ginger-garlic and chilli; cook until soft. Add the tomato and cook it down to a paste.
Why the tomato: beyond flavour, its vitamin C sits right where you want it, ready to help your body absorb the iron from the spinach to come.
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3
Stir in the spinach purée, salt and garam masala. Simmer gently for just 4 to 5 minutes, no longer.
Why briefly: long cooking turns the spinach khaki and destroys its folate and vitamin C. A short simmer keeps the colour and the goodness.
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4
Fold in the paneer and warm through for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the curd or cream, and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Late paneer, final lemon: adding paneer at the end keeps it soft, not rubbery. The lemon off the heat lifts the dish and gives one last vitamin-C boost for the iron.
Three ways
1 · Classic
As above, finished with a little curd or cream.
2 · Lighter
Use curd not cream and low-fat paneer to cut the saturated fat.
3 · Vegan
Swap paneer for firm tofu, which also stays in neat cubes.