🥬 Healthy Kashmiri Palak Paneer (Serves 2–3)
⭐ What makes it Kashmiri & healthy?
- No onions or garlic (traditional Kashmiri Pandit style)
- Uses fennel (saunf) and dry ginger (sonth)
- Minimal oil
- No cream or butter
- Gentle heat from Kashmiri red chilli
🧾 Ingredients
- Spinach (palak) – 250–300 g
- Paneer – 150 g (preferably low-fat, cubed)
- Mustard oil – 1 to 1½ tsp
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
- Fennel powder (saunf) – 1 tsp
- Dry ginger powder (sonth) – ½ tsp
- Kashmiri red chilli powder – ½ to 1 tsp (for color, mild heat)
- Asafoetida (hing) – a pinch
- Curd (low-fat, whisked) – 2 tbsp (optional but traditional)
- Salt – to taste
- Water – as needed
👩🍳 Method
- Prepare the palak
- Wash spinach well.
- Blanch in boiling water for 1–2 minutes, then transfer to cold water.
- Grind into a smooth paste without adding water. Set aside.
- Lightly cook paneer (optional but healthier)
- Heat a non-stick pan and dry roast paneer cubes for 1–2 minutes, or soak in warm water for softness.
- Make the base
- Heat mustard oil until just smoky, then lower heat.
- Add cumin seeds and hing.
- Add fennel powder, dry ginger powder, and Kashmiri chilli powder (mix quickly so it doesn’t burn).
- Add curd (optional)
- On very low heat, add whisked curd slowly, stirring continuously to avoid splitting.
- Add palak paste
- Add spinach puree and salt.
- Simmer for 5–7 minutes on low heat until well cooked and aromatic.
- Add paneer
- Add paneer cubes and a little water if needed.
- Simmer for another 3–4 minutes.
- Finish
- Adjust seasoning.
- No cream or garam masala needed—let the flavors stay subtle.
🥗 Nutrition Tips
- Use tofu instead of paneer for a vegan or lower-fat version
- Mustard oil helps absorption of iron from spinach
- Avoid overcooking to preserve nutrients
🍽️ Serve with
- Steamed rice
- Kashmiri-style mujaddar dal
- Phulka or jowar roti
If you’d like, I can also share:
- A vegan version
- Weight-loss macro breakdown
- Or a restaurant-style vs traditional comparison
Just tell me 😊