This dish may not need any introduction; it is so popular probably all over the country and outside where Indians are in large numbers. It can also be made by adding lot more spices like cumin, cloves,etc., but we like this simple version. Try it out, you may like it too.

Category : North Indian Side Dish

INGREDIENTS :

Onion : 1 chopped

Paneer cubes : ~100 g or as needed

Oil/butter : 2 tbsp

For Grinding :

Palak : ~150 g (1 bunch), tender leaves

Green chillies : 2-3 (depending on its heat/taste) OR

Red dhilli powder : to taste

Cashew nuts: 6-8 (OR fresh cream, to be added at the end)

Ginger/Garlic paste : 1/2 tsp ( or only gimger)

METHOD :

Palak leaves and chillies can be cooked either by sauteing it with a dash of oil in a pan or in a microwave, till palak is soft and well cooked. Make sure it cooks well, if not, the gravy will not have the smooth texture. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion, add paneer cubes and saute by stirring, till it turns slightly golden in color (it can also be added at towards the end without sauteing, if you prefer it soft). By now, if the palak has cooled down, blend it in to a smooth paste (do not blend when it is hot, it may spill over from the mixie). Add the paste and salt (takes very little) to the paneer, mix well bring it to boil, adjust taste with chilli powder and salt. Serve it hot with any kind of roti or ghee/jeera/plain rice.

Tip: In place of cashew, you could blend 2-3 paneer cubes alongwith palak.

Preparation Time : ~30 min

INFORMATION

Vegan - NO

Gluten Free - YES

Glycemic Index (GI) is the rate of release of glucose in to blood stream, GI of glucose equal to 100

Palak : Not significant

Paneer : Not available (High fat milk, 250 mL = 41 GI)

Glycemic Load (High fat milk, 250 mL = 5 GL)

CALORIES : 1 Katori (~150 g)= ~180 Cal

NUTRITIVE VALUE :

Raw spinach (1 cup) has : 7 calories, 0.86 g of protein, 30 mg of calcium, 0.81 g of iron, 24 mg of magnesium, 167 mg of potassium, 58 mg of folate and 2,813 IU of Vitamin A

Paneer : Its nutritive value depends on the low or high fat milk it is made from. It is a combination of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. 100 gm of paneer contains few carbs, 8gm of protein and 8 gm of fats (saturated)

HEALTH BENEFITS :

Dark, leafy greens like spinach are important for skin, hair, and bone health. They can protect liver and heart health, control diabetes, reduce cancer risk.

Paneer is rich in protein as well as fat.

ORIGIN :

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) belongs to family Amaranthceae and is thought to have originated about 2000 years ago in ancient Persia from where it was introduced to India and ancient China via Nepal in 647 AD as the "Persian vegetable”

WATER FOOTPRINT (is litres of water needed to produce the food) :

Spinach/leafy greens : 240 Litres/kg

General tips:

Low calorie paneer can be prepared from low fat milk

Vegan dish can be made with tofu or any vegan substitute

DID YOU KNOW : Just half a cup of raw spinach counts as 1 of the 5 servings of fruits and vegetables you should eat every day.

REFERENCES :

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270609#nutrition

https://www.healthline.com

https://www.Wikipedia.com

https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report47-WaterFootprintCrops-Vol1.pdf https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/1/glycemicindex.pdf

Palak Paneer (Spinach & Cottage Cheese) :