The Palak Paneer Recipe You Should Cook Tonight

Yesterday i made this, fantastic flavors and the paneer turned out great. I used UHT milk, and it curdled just fine!

could i use just mustard seeds (not black mustard seeds)? thanks!

HS: Yes, absolutely!

Resa, I wonder whether it may have been preservative in the brand of milk you used that prevented it going sour and curdling? Or some form of long-life treating as in the sort of milk that lives on the shelf. The process should be almost instant if the milk is warm enough (more than blood temp but less than simmering). Fresh untreated milk ‘as it comes from a cow’ is definitely more sensitive to going sour and curdling than modern store-bought, but that said I’ve never had a problem – and please don’t throw sour milk out, it’s great in baking, and will happily sub into many dishes. Think of all the recipes with sour cream, or asking for the tartness of yoghurt, and just adjust accordingly.

We love your blog and your recipes have fed our friends and family many times. Looking forward to trying this. I’ve never tried to make paneer. How do I know when the milk has curdled enough to strain?

HS: Hi Mike – You’ll definitely see the clotting of the cheese and defined areas of whey – like, it will look like it is one or the other. Hope that makes sense.

Being from India, I have always enjoyed Palak Paneer. However, I much prefer ‘Saag Paneer’ which is usually made by substituting Mustard Greens for a third to half the Spinach, which gives it a much more robust and interesting flavor. However, Mustard Greens alone are overwhelming.

I absolutely love palak paneer! T’was one of my favourite dishes when I was working in a Bombay Street Kitchen in town 🙂 That was even before I became a vegetarian 🙂 Your recipe here looks lovely, nice twist! x

This looks exactly like the kind of food I crave after a long day at work. Probably goes really well with naan.
Looks like making paneer is very similar to making ricotta. Is there a major difference there?

Kathy, I really think you could just make it without the tomatoes and see what happens. You might want to add some lemon or lime for some acidity, and possibly something for a slight sweetness. It will taste different, but bet it’ll still be good. I’ve had palak paneer before where the tomato component has been minimal.

I tried making the Paneer last night. The milk did not curdle to make the cheese at all. very very disappointing. I used fresh lemon juice and had to keep adding and adding and then thought why not some vinegar and added that and then i thought maybe i should boil the milk, and did that and then i let it sit and it did nothing. i was sad to throw out a whole quart of good milk and so i did not make the rest of the recipe. can you please explain why this paneer did not make it!!! your instructions are vague about the heating and the acid and the length of time and etc etc. thanks.

HS: Hi Resa! I’m so sorry to hear that – I’m re-reading the instructions, and it’s the general process I’ve used many times. The one thing I’m noticing is the original recipe didn’t note to use full fat milk. Or, at least that’s what I always use. Updating the notes now….It should work! Hoping that I’m not missing something else, I’ve done it three times in the past week-ish, same process….Hope you give it another try.

Hi Kathy,
Regarding the tomatoes you can just use water. When I make Indian food, the base is the onions. The longer you sweat these, the sweeter they are as they begin to carmelise. You then add dried spices and salt and cook for a minute or 2 (like a roux) and then add your veg/meat/fish/paneer/beans etc. and cook for a few mins and then the liquid – tomatoes, water, coconut milk, tamarind water etc. Obviously the taste won’t be the same but I just exchange out ingredients as needed and change around the spices.
The best explanation I saw of this was chef Rick Stein when he visited India. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/b033rhzh His cookbook is also quite good.

Yes to everything you say about this dish! This is going on my list to make soon.
Heidi, do you ever add salt to your paneer? I usually find my homemade version lacking a bit in flavor (as in it tastes flat) compared store-bought.

HS: Hi Katie – I sometimes season just after I’ve strained, but when the curds a quite loose…it depends on what I plan on doing with it. I tend to season differently depending on whether it will be a sweet or savoy use.

Do you think you could sub out the cow milk for coconut or almond milk?

HS: Hi Liz – I think the best non-dairy option is doing to be crumbled tofu.

Did you know you could use the whey from your paneer to bind the dough for paratha? I always do that when I make paneer. Either parathas, roti or puri.

HS: Yes! I do that on occasion, use the whey in lemonade, as part of the soaking liquid w/ dried beans, etc. It’s the good stuff!

Hi Heidi! This looks delicious – I can’t remember what paneer taste/texture is like, could you imagine a tofu/tempeh/cashew cheese version of this? xx

HS: Hi! Yes! It would be a fantastic alternative 🙂

I’ve never seen dreamier palak paneer! The microgreens make a wonderful garnish and fried cashews add a nice rich note.

this is amazing! it’s great to know that i can make these mysteriously delicious indian/pakistani recipes on my own! question: i always thought Saag Paneer was the spinach and paneer dish. what is the difference between Palak and saag?
thanks

Kathy – when I make palek paneer, I only put in 1-2 fist sized tomatoes. I think it would be fine to try adding maybe a carrot or two (not too much or it’ll be too sweet) and just scaling back the spices for less volume.

Did you know you could use the whey from your paneer to bind the dough for paratha? I always do that when I make paneer. Either parathas, roti or puri.

HS: Yes! It’s a great idea. I also save it to add a bit to the soaking water for beans, and to add to dressings, and all sorts of other stuff.

This looks so delicious! It’s funny, just yesterday I was looking up how to make my own paneer and ordered a nut milk bag today on Amazon. I’m excited to try this recipe 🙂

HS: Hi Amber – this recipes makes roughly 2 cups of paneer? Something like that.

This looks amazing. I have a tomato sensitivity though, so there probably isn’t a good substitution available is there? Maybe roasted/blended carrots?

HS: Hmmm…it is a substantial part of the base…not sure I have a great suggestion for you :/

Hi Heidi, love the look of this recipe and will definitely try it very soon. What can I use instead of the black mustard seeds? Thanks.

HS: Hi Roberta – Just skip them if you like. Generally speaking, you can tweak the spices to your liking over time.

This looks so good. Simple, beautiful and delicious 🙂

My editor told me about that book and made me pretty curious ^_^ Anyway, I love palak paneer – even if I make it with tofu and I call it palak tofu 🙂 But I think your micro greens and cashew topping! is just amazing!

had no idea that paneer was so easy to make! and i love that it sounds flavorful, but isn’t intimidating with a laundry list of ingredients and unheard of spices.

This is just what I need. I sorely miss ethnic food in my beautiful little corner of rural France, where my restaurant choices are French, French or pizza. Making paneer from scratch is brilliant! Thank you!