Palak paneer is North Indian home cooking at its most beloved: blanched spinach blended into a smooth, bright green sauce, cooked with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and warm spices, with cubes of paneer, India's fresh, mild, non melting cheese, folded through at the end. It is a staple of Punjabi kitchens and of the dhabas, the roadside restaurants that line the highways out of Delhi, and it is one of the dishes vegetarians in India never tire of, which, in a country where vegetarian cooking has had a few thousand years to perfect itself, is a considerable compliment.

The secret is color. Spinach cooked too long turns a sad olive; blanched briefly and plunged into ice water, it stays as green as a freshly painted pit wall. The whole dish takes under an hour, needs no special equipment beyond a blender, and makes a perfect partner to butter chicken for a table that pleases everyone.

The spinach purée

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 g) fresh spinach
• 1 to 2 green chilies
• 1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves

The curry

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (225 g) paneer
• 2 tablespoons ghee or neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 medium tomato
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) butter

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