The sight of palak(spinach) and paneer generally reminds us of the delectable Palak-Paneer 🙂 I won’t deny, my first thought was to prepare palak paneer when I put these items in my shopping cart.

But when I started to plan my dinner, I felt the urge to do something different this time. So I decided to combine the famous Malai Kofta and Palak Paneer – the result is today’s dish 🙂

Presenting to you – Paneer Kofta in Palak Curry 🙂 The flavorful koftas dunked in the goodness of the greens will be on your favorite list of recipes 🙂

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4 people

INGREDIENTS:

For the koftas:

Potatoes – 4 small

Frozen or fresh peas – 1/2 cup (optional)

Paneer or cottage cheese – 1 cup – grated

Ginger – 1/2 inch

Green chillies – 4 to 5

Corn flour or corn starch – 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds powder – 1 tsp

Fennel powder – 1 tsp

Salt – as per taste

For the Curry:

Spinach leaves / Palak – about 2 to 3 bunches

Onions – 1

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Tamarind Paste – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp (to retain colour)

Salt – as per taste

For tempering:

Oil – 1 tbsp

Jeera or cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Cloves – 2 to 3

Cinnamon stick – 1 inch

Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp

METHOD:

Koftas:

Pressure cook the potatoes and peas with a pinch of salt. Mash them well.

Ground the ginger and green chillies. Keep it aside.

Now add the rest of the ingredients mentioned under ‘for the koftas’ section along with the ground paste of ginger and green chillies.

Mix well and make kofta balls or patties.

These patties can be deep fried or shallow fried in any pan or oven baked for a healthier version.

I chose to broil them in the oven, so I get a nice browning on them. I cooked them on low for 15 minutes. You can also bake them at 400ºF for 20-25 minutes.

While the patties are getting ready, let’s prepare for the palak curry.

Steam the palak leaves and blend it into a fine paste.

In a wide bottomed pan, heat oil and add the ingredients mentioned under the ‘for tempering’ section. Sauté till done.

Now add the chopped onions and sauté until translucent.

Next, add the pureéd spinach. Mix well.

Add the spice powders, tamarind paste and salt. Mix well and allow to boil till the raw smell of the spinach is gone and you get a nice aroma.

Now add the kofta patties and mix well but gently.

Boil for about 3-4 minutes before turning off the heat.

Paneer kofta in palak curry is ready to be served.

Serve hot with roti or chapati.