Saag Paneer Recipe - Yellow Chili's

Saag Paneer is a wealthy, creamy, and silky easy Indian restaurant-style curry dish. It’s often made with a wide range of flavorful inexperienced leaves, fragrant Indian spices, fried paneer, and topped with heavy cream. This do-it-yourself model is simple and one of many greatest paneer recipes and might be ready in beneath half-hour, making it an ideal wholesome selection for each lunch and dinner. It may be served with naan, roti, chapati, basmati rice, or white rice for a satisfying meal.

The recipe I’ve shared right here contains simple, step-by-step directions for making Saag Paneer at residence. As well as, an in depth video of the recipe is included to make the cooking course of clear and simple to comply with.

A bowl of saag paneer, surrounded by a bowl of rice and a piece of naan bread.

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What’s Saag Paneer?

Saag paneer is a scrumptious Indian curry dish made with a mix of inexperienced leaves, spices, and fried paneer, topped with heavy cream. It is among the wholesome do-it-yourself scrumptious paneer recipes that may be served with a wide range of accompaniments comparable to naan, roti, chapati, basmati rice, or white rice for each lunch and dinner. The curry has a wealthy, creamy, and silky easy texture.

Saag, a staple meals in India, notably within the northern areas, is often made with a mix of inexperienced leaves comparable to spinach, mustard, radish, beet, and kale. Nevertheless, the westernized restaurant-style model often solely contains spinach and might also embrace a couple of different greens relying on availability. Along with the greens, heavy cream can also be used to realize a silky easy end.

Though Saag is a primary dish in India, it isn’t widespread to seek out Saag Paneer in eating places or households. The commonest dish made with saag in India is sarson ka saag, however additionally it is doable to be artistic and add substances comparable to aloo, tofu, and chana to attempt totally different flavors.

Along with being a tasty deal with, Saag Paneer is loaded with good dietary fiber, iron, and wholesome proteins. It’s a good selection for lunch or dinner, particularly for many who love paneer and Indian recipes. So with out additional delay, let’s learn to make Saag Paneer within the following sections.

Substances

To make this Saag Paneer, you will have primary Indian spices and recent greens. These substances can usually be discovered at most Indian grocery shops. The listing of substances is supplied beneath.

For Saag Paste

A grey table featuring the ingredients needed for a recipe of saag paneer.

Greens – This saag makes use of spinach and fenugreek leaves, however it’s also possible to use different greens comparable to mustard leaves, kale, radish leaves, or beet leaves
Aromatics – Ginger and garlic add a heat, earthy taste to the dish and help good digestion
Inexperienced Chili – Gives warmth and a definite taste to the dish
Salt and Sugar – Improve the flavour of the greens and assist preserve their shade

Different Substances

Entire Spices – Entire spices comparable to cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, and black cardamom delivers heat, spicy, and earthy taste notes to your curry
Spice Powders – Kashmiri Chili Powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala powder
Onion and Tomato – Create the bottom for this curry
Paneer – Entire milk store-brought paneer or do-it-yourself each work nicely for this recipe
Fat – You should use any cooking oil of your selection, however right here I’ve used mustard oil for frying the paneer to realize a peppery and rusting taste profile. A couple of teaspoons of melted ghee are additionally added on the ultimate stage for added taste.
Cream (elective) – You’ll be able to both use or skip it. You may as well use coconut cream or cashew cream for a vegan-friendly choice

For an in depth substances listing, please try the recipe card beneath.

Tips on how to make Saag Paneer at residence?

The recipe I’m sharing is a well-liked and wholesome Saag Paneer, a restaurant-style dish made with inexperienced leafy greens like spinach and fenugreek leaves, in addition to primary Indian spices. Saag might be made with a wide range of leafy greens, so be at liberty to make use of no matter is obtainable to you. I’ve additionally shared some suggestions for the most effective greens to make use of on this recipe within the ideas part beneath.

Beneath are the high-level directions for this recipe, however for detailed step-by-step directions with images and a video, please see the recipe card beneath.

To arrange Saag Paste

Add the greens and aromatics – In a big pan with a large base, convey water to a boil and add ¼ tsp of salt, sugar, ginger, garlic, inexperienced chilies, fenugreek leaves, and spinach leaves.
Blanch – Blanch the greens for 2-3 minutes, then take away them from the boiling water and rinse totally with chilly water. This helps to protect the colour and taste of the greens
Mix – Mix the leafy inexperienced combination right into a easy paste utilizing a blender and set it apart for later use

To make Saag Paneer

Fry the paneer – Warmth a pan over medium warmth and add mustard oil (or some other neutral-tasting cooking oil, comparable to butter or ghee). Fry the paneer items till each side are barely crispy and golden in shade
Take away – Take away the paneer from the oil and set it apart for later use
Saute – In the identical pan, add a further 2 tbsp of oil and add spices comparable to cumin, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and cloves. Sauté the spices till they’re fragrant
Soften the onion and tomatoes – Add the onion and sauté till it turns into comfortable. Then, add the tomatoes and sauté till they’re mushy
Stir the spices – As soon as the tomatoes are mushy, add the Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, and salt. Stir every part collectively till it turns into aromatic
Combine and alter the consistency – Add the blended saag paste and blend nicely. Add 1 cup of water and alter the consistency as wanted
Boil the curry – Enable the combination to boil for 5-7 minutes till the curry is aromatic.
Add Paneer – Add the fried paneer cubes and blend nicely. At this stage, add 2 tbsp of melted butter or ghee for added taste
Garnish and serve – Lastly, garnish the saag paneer curry with heavy cream and take away it from the warmth

Distinction between Palak Paneer and Saag Paneer

Palak paneer is a standard Indian dish that mixes paneer cheese with spinach and a mix of fragrant Indian spices. The phrase “palak” means spinach in Hindi. Saag can also be a well-liked Indian dish, notably in Punjab and the northern areas of the nation. It’s often made with varied leafy greens comparable to spinach, mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, collard greens, and others. The model of Saag made with paneer is named Saag Paneer and is extra widespread in western nations than in India.

Suggestions

Do not skip Blanching – Blanching the greens together with ginger, garlic, and inexperienced chilies helps to protect the colour and taste of the leaves. Make sure you rinse the greens rapidly when you take away them from the boiling water
Finest Greens For Saag – Saag usually refers to a mix of various leafy greens, so you should use spinach, mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, kale, radish, and beet leaves for a more healthy and extra filling curry.
Tips on how to puree – You’ll be able to mix the blanched greens in a standalone or handheld blender for a easy end. Nevertheless, some individuals favor to finely chop the greens utilizing a vegetable chopper or kitchen knife. Should you favor to cut the greens, you may skip the blanching step and instantly sauté the greens within the onion-tomato combination
Wholesome Fats – I’ve used mustard oil for frying the paneer right here, however you may be at liberty to make use of the cooking oil of your selection. Including a couple of tsp of melted butter or ghee on the ultimate stage enhances the flavour of the saag
Optionally available Cream – Though heavy cream is elective in do-it-yourself saag recipes, I’ve used it to realize a restaurant-style saag paneer

Storage Recommendations

This Saag Paneer will keep recent for as much as 2 days within the fridge in a closed container. If you need to freeze the curry, I like to recommend storing solely the saag combination within the freezer, in particular person serving parts. It’s going to freeze nicely for as much as a month. To serve, merely thaw and reheat the saag combination with some fried paneer on the stovetop.

Serving Recommendations

This tasty and wholesome Saag Paneer might be served with basmati rice, white rice, roti, chapati, or naan for lunch or dinner. You may as well embrace it as a part of an Indian celebration unfold, together with dishes like butter rooster, tandoori rooster, samosa, Mughlai rooster biryani, and raita, adopted by a refreshing mango lassi for the right crowning glory.

Searching for extra recipe concepts? We have got you coated! Make sure you try our choice of related paneer recipes and a wide range of tasty Indian and veg curry recipes within the hyperlinks beneath.

You may as well discover extra widespread Indian curry recipes beneath.

Saag Paneer Recipe video

Beneath, you will discover a detailed video of the Saag Paneer recipe that I hope will make it easier to to arrange this wholesome Indian curry at residence.

📖 Recipe

FAQ

What’s Saag Paneer?

Saag paneer is a scrumptious Indian curry dish made with a mix of inexperienced leaves, spices, and fried paneer, topped with heavy cream. It’s a wholesome do-it-yourself recipe that may be served with a wide range of accompaniments comparable to naan, roti, chapati, basmati rice, or white rice for each lunch and dinner. The curry has a wealthy, creamy, and silky easy texture.

How wholesome is Saag Paneer?

Saag Paneer is loaded with good dietary fiber, iron, and proteins and wholesome selection for a filling meal.

What’s the distinction between Palak Paneer and Saag Paneer?

Palak paneer is an Indian dish made with spinach and paneer, in addition to a couple of Indian spices. The phrase “palak” means spinach in Hindi. Saag can also be a well-liked Indian dish, notably in Punjab and the northern areas of the nation. It’s often made with varied leafy greens comparable to spinach, mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, collard greens, and others. The model of saag made with paneer is named saag paneer and is extra widespread in western nations than in India.

Is Saag Paneer is vegan-friendly?

To make the recipe vegan-friendly, omit the heavy cream and as a substitute add coconut or cashew cream for related outcomes. This can can help you benefit from the dish with none animal-derived substances.

I hope you loved the recipe I shared right here and I’d love to listen to from you about the way it turned out for you. Please let me know.

In case you have some other questions, be at liberty to submit them within the remark part beneath and I’ll attempt to get again to you as quickly as doable.

Completely happy Cooking!

Saag Paneer Recipe – Yellow Chili’s

What’s Saag Paneer?