Authentic Saag Paneer

Saag paneer (and palak paneer) are vegetarian Indian dish made of curried greens and fried paneer cheese. You’ve likely come across the dish at your favorite Indian restaurant, but now’s the time to try making authentic saag paneer at home! 

What is saag paneer?

Saag paneer is a popular Indian vegetarian dish made of spinach and other leafy greens (called saag) and paneer (Indian cottage cheese).

The greens are ground into a paste, and seasoned with spices. Fried paneer is then added on top. 

The origin of this dish is from the province of Punjab in northern India.

What is saag?

In India, the term saag is a generic term that means ‘greens’. The common misconception is that saag means spinach, but the term is quite broad.

In India, saag can include spinach (palak), mustard leaves (sarsoon), chenopodium (bathua), purslane (kulfa), and fenugreek leaves (methi). It can also include beet greens and tender radish leaves.

One of the most famous recipes associated with saag in the Indian sub-continent is sarsoon ka saag. It is a vegetarian dish made of a mixture of leafy greens, and a winter specialty. It is served with makai ki roti (a flatbread made of maize flour) and a dollop of butter or ghee.

What is paneer?

Paneer or Indian cottage cheese is a fresh cheese made from cow or buffalo milk. The texture is on the firm side, and it doesn’t melt on heating.

It is very popular in India, and is eaten as a snack, as well as a main milk.

It is made by curdling fresh milk with a type of food acid such as yoghurt, lemon juice or vinegar. Once the milk separates and curds are formed, they are separated via a cheesecloth or muslin cloth. Excess water is drained, and the cheese is pressed for 2 – 3 hours to form its shape. (Here is an easy paneer recipe.) 

The paneer can then be sliced or cubed, and used in dishes. It can be used as is, or it can be fried or grilled.

In this saag paneer recipe, the paneer is cubed and then shallow fried, after which it is added to the saag mixture.

What can I substitute for paneer cheese? 

If you have the time to plan ahead, paneer is one of the easiest cheese recipes to make at home. (See the recipe linked above.) 

However, if you can not be bothered to make it yourself or do not have access to it ready-made, Greek Halloumi or Feta work as substitutes. (You need a firm cheese that won’t melt.)

Extra firm tofu could also work in a pinch, but it wouldn’t give the same creaminess to the dish. 

How is saag paneer different from palak paneer?

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between saag paneer and palak paneer.

The traditional Indian dish is palak paneer which is made with palak (spinach) and paneer (Indian cottage cheese).

Saag paneer is a similar vegetarian recipe that is made with a mixture of leafy greens with paneer.

The dish saag paneer is more popular in Indian restaurants around the world, and not as common in India.

In the west, the terms palak paneer and saag paneer are used interchangeably, particularly so in western Indian restaurants.

Ideally saag paneer should have a mix of greens – spinach, mustard greens and/or fenugreek. However, the difficulty of finding Indian leafy greens abroad means that saag paneer is often made with just spinach (palak).

Even in the recipe I shared below, I was only able to find two types of leafy greens – one spinach, and the other fenugreek leaves (methi).

What type of greens can be used in saag paneer?

Ideally, saag paneer should be made from a mix of leafy greens, the bulk of which would be spinach. A ratio of 2 parts spinach to 1 part other leafy greens is best.

Other leafy greens that can be used in saag paneer are mustard greens (sarsoon), chenopodium (bathua), purslane (kulfa), and fenugreek leaves (methi).

What type of spinach should be used in saag paneer?

Spinach is the easiest green to find and also forms the bulk of the saag paneer gravy. Here’s a breakdown of different types of spinach you may consider using for your saag paneer (or palak paneer, for that matter). 

Fresh spinach – ideally fresh spinach leaves of the mature kind. These are available at Indian grocery stores, farmers markets and large supermarkets.

Baby spinach can be used, but the flavor is on the mild side. However, someone who finds regular spinach too bitter may prefer baby spinach.

Frozen spinach – since you turn the spinach into a paste for this particular recipe, frozen spinach is actually a good alternate to fresh spinach, especially when fresh is not in season.

Frozen spinach doesn’t require blanching, but it might require a whiz in the blender to create the saag paneer base.

Canned saag – tinned or canned saag is a common sight in Indian grocery stores. It is sold as ‘saag’ or ‘sarsoon ka saag’ and is available in paste form in a can.

The reason it is so popular is because it’s super convenient (grinding spinach and mustard greens is messy) and because it tastes authentic. It has a mixture of those leafy greens which are so hard to find fresh abroad.

The canned saag can be used in place of the ground spinach paste – just fry it in ghee / oil and give a fresh tempering of spices to add flavor.

 

Now it’s your turn! Do you order saag paneer at your favorite restaurant? Have you made it yourself? What do you add to make it special? Let us know in the comments below!