Palak Paneer Instant Pot (Authentic, Unblanched, Punjabi-style)
Palak Paneer Instant Pot is a Punjabi dish that's widely popular in North India. This authentic unblanched version of Palak Paneer is a blend of creamy spinach flavored with aromatic spices along with sauteed cubed paneer.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
FOR SAUTEED PANEER
- 200 grams paneer cubed & soaked in hot water
- 1/2 tbsp oil
FOR PALAK PANEER
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1-2 green chilies sliced
- 1 cup red onions finely chopped
- 1 inch piece ginger chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tbsp water to prevent spices from burning
- 2 tbsp water to deglaze tomatoes after cooking
- 1 pound fresh spinach leaves roughly chopped
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup sour cream more if desired
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves
- Add sauteed paneer
Instructions
- Prepare Masala - Press SAUTE mode on the Instant Pot. Once the pot is hot, add oil, and once hot, add cumin seeds. Saute the cumin seeds for 30 seconds. Now add green chilies. Saute for 30 seconds or so. Add onions and season with a little salt. Stir and cook the onions down for 5-6 minutes until lightly brown. Now add ginger and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and season with a little salt. Stir and cook for a minute or two.
- Add Ground Spices - turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add a tablespoon of water to prevent the spices from burning and stir. Cover the Instant Pot with a lid and cook the tomatoes down for 3-4 minutes. Once done, add another 1-2 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan. Press CANCEL on the Instant Pot.
- Add Spinach - Add a pound of fresh spinach. Season with salt. Gently stir. You don't need to combine the masala mixture with the spinach at this time. Press HIGH PRESSURE for 2 minutes. Allow the steam to naturally release for 10 minutes and then manually release the remaining steam. This process will take about 20 minutes.
- Saute Paneer - While the spinach cooks, heat a nonstick ceramic pan on medium heat, once hot, add half a tablespoon of oil followed by cubed paneer that has been cubed, soaked, and drained. Saute the paneer until golden for 5 minutes at the most, anything more, and you'll end up with a tougher texture. Turn off the stove and transfer the paneer to a bowl.
- Blend Spinach - Open the Instant Pot and stir the spinach with the masala mixture. Use an immersion blender to blend the spinach. We want to keep the texture so don't overblend, rather pulse it.
- Add Sour Cream - Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot again. Add sour cream, garam masala, and dry fenugreek leaves. Stir it. The spinach will slightly lighten and become creamy. Add the sauteed cube paneer. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Press CANCEL on the Instant Pot. Your palak paneer is ready.
Video
Notes
- Spinach - Use fresh spinach leaves bunch for the best results followed by baby spinach and then frozen spinach.
- Paneer - Feel free to use raw cubed paneer instead of sauteed paneer.
- Sour Cream - Instead of sour cream, you may opt to use 2-4 tablespoons of heavy cream, 1/4 - 1/3 cup of whole milk, 1/4 cup of blended cashews with water to form a paste, or 1/4 cup of whole milk yogurt. If using milk or yogurt, first temper them with a little spinach gravy to prevent the dish from curdling.
- Prevent Sticking - Add two tablespoons of water once the tomatoes have cooked to deglaze the pan. This will prevent the BURN sign on the Instant Pot later on.
- Vegan - For a vegan option, you may substitute firm tofu for paneer. Press the tofu to remove the excess liquid and then proceed to saute in oil.
Nutrition
Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 866mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 11232IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 406mg | Iron: 4mg