Saag Paneer Recipe
Saag paneer is traditionally made with cubes of paneer cooked in a sauce made of green leafy veggies. A delicious, comforting, vegetarian curry that is better than the restaurant version!
Servings 4
Calories 384kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 grams Paneer cut into cubes
- 350 grams fresh spinach leaves washed and rinsed (frozen spinach can be used as well)
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger finely chopped
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2-3 bay leaves
- ¾ tablespoon whole cumin
- 1½ tablespoon Ghee
- 2 red onions chopped
- ⅓ tablespoon Turmeric
- ½ tablespoon Garam masala
- ½ tablespoon Salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by browning the paneer. Heat a pan on the stovetop. Add a little ghee or vegetable oil and once hot, add the cubes of paneer. Let the paneer brown gently on one side, then and flip on each side to brown evenly. Once the paneer cubes are evenly browned, keep aside for later.
- In the Instant Pot, add the ghee, and hit Sauté. Once hot, add the bay leaves and the whole cumin. Once the whole spices start turning aromatic (after 1 minute), add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chilli.
- Sauté for 3-4 minutes until onions start to turn translucent. Then add the chopped tomato, turmeric, garam masala. Sauté for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to soften. If they stick to the bottom of the pot, add a tablespoon of water and deglaze the pot. Any residue stuck to the pot can trigger the ‘Burn’ notice.
- Add the spinach leaves. Give it a mix and put on the lid of the IP. Hit ‘Pressure Cook’ or ‘Manual’ mode and set the time for 1 minute. Once the cooking cycle is completed, immediately release pressure and open the lid of the Instant Pot (Quick Release).
- D2i0card the bay leaves. Using a stick blender (hand blender), blend the cooked ingredients up to form the sauce. Tip: add 3-4 ice cubes at this stage to quickly bring down the temperature of the sauce. This helps in retaining the green color of the spinach.
- Add the sautéed paneer, add the salt and hit ‘Saute’. Let the paneer simmer in the sauce for 3-4 minutes. Once cooked, garnish with cream and serve with naan or rice.
Notes
Spinach can be replaced with mustard green or with kale as well. The instructions for the recipe will remain the same.
For a vegan alternative, replace the paneer cubes with extra firm tofu, replace ghee with vegetable oil and omit the cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1010mg | Potassium: 676mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 8475IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 593mg | Iron: 4mg