Before I went vegan, one of my favorite Indian dishes was palak paneer. I loved this richly spiced and smooth-textured dish, and always ordered it with a heavy dose of hot pepper, garlic naan and a Kingfisher. I had a random and intense craving for it the other day, so I used this recipe which I had bookmarked months ago but had forgotten about. I made minimal tweaks here and there to veganize it, and it produced a palak paneer that reminded me of the authentic version I used to enjoy many years ago. This dish was easy to make, smelled amazing and has just the right amount of richness and spice. Adapted from Indian Simmer.
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Vegan Palak Paneer
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut vinegar
- 1 block of extra-firm tofu, towel-pressed and cut into dice-sized cubes
- small red onion, chopped
- 5–6 cloves garlic
- 1 TB fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 TB vegetable oil
- salt
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- pinch of ground cloves
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1–4 thai green chilis, chopped (optional)
- 7 oz. canned tomatoes
- 16 oz. bag of chopped frozen spinach
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt, to taste
- basmati rice and vegan naan, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the coconut milk, salt and coconut vinegar into a small and deep glass pyrex dish. Throw in the tofu cubes and stir gently to ensure they are all coated. Cover with saran wrap and place into the refrigerator for a few hours to marinade.
- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and remove the tofu cubes very gently from the thick marinade, being careful not to squash them. Reserve the leftover marinade.
- Place the tofu cubes out into nice even rows onto the silpat or parchment. It’s fine to have the marinade kind of pooling around the tofu cubes, Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until to slightly browned, rotating them every 15 minutes to prevent scorching.
- Place the onion, garlic and ginger into a food processor and grind into a paste. Transfer to a medium-sized pot with the vegetable oil. Allow to slightly caramelize over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent overbrowning. Decrease the heat to low, then add a few dashes of salt and the next four spices and chilis (if using), then allow to simmer for a minute or two. Throw in the tomatoes and stir to combine.
- In another pot, throw in the frozen spinach with about a cup of water. Simmer over medium-high heat until the spinach is completely heated through. Transfer the spinach to a food processor and puree until smooth, then transfer it to the pot with the onion and spices and stir well.
- Allow your saag to simmer in the pot over low heat while you wait for your tofu to finish baking. Once it’s ready, pick the silpat up like a taco, and dump the contents into the pot, being sure to scrape in the the little bits of caramelized marinade and oil and stir well to combine. Add in the rest of the reserved coconut marinade (about 1/3 cup). Garnish with the fresh cilantro.
- Serve with basmati rice and vegan naan. These curried chickpea and onion fritters would be a perfect appetizer to go along with this dish.
- Cook Time: 1 hours
Molly K. says
This dish is wonderful! I’ve made it twice now but I must point out that you have written the recipe calling for a 7 ounce can of tomatoes..which doesn’t exist. I assume you meant 14.5?
Also, I’ve made it using fresh spinach I steam and use double the amount. All around, delish!!
Julie says
I’m about to make this recipe for dinner. Wondering, is ‘fennel’ a typo and meant to be ‘fenugreek’ instead?
Julie says
Great recipe! I took some liberties – used a mix of extra greens, jalapeno peppers instead of Thai chilis, and omitted ground cloves (didn’t have on hand). I should have tripled the spices, but the dish was still flavored nicely. The tofu “paneer” marinade was outstanding (could use as a base for raita in the future). So happy to have stumbled upon your recipe to replace my local Indian takeout which isn’t as healthy as I need.
erinwyso says
So happy you enjoyed, Julie … glad you were able to adjust as needed!
erinwyso says
Hi Julie, I used fennel seed here, but a touch of dried fenugreek leaves would be a lovely addition!
Adrianne says
My son and I made this tonight and really loved it. We used apple cider vinegar to marinate the tofu and it was surprisingly like paneer ! Who knew? I did add a touch of lime juice at the end with the cilantro. We loved it. So much better than takeout. We will be making this again for sure! Thanks !
erinwyso says
Adrianne, thanks for your kind feedback, and I’m so happy you and your son enjoyed! 🙂
Nikki Kamminga says
I absolutely love your recipes and I’m just about to subscribe. I’d love to have a recipe blog again some day but my business keeps me pretty busy (I make vegan keepsake jewellery) so for now I’ll admire your photos and try to recreate the gorgeousness from afar x
Tracy says
I made this – I tried one vegan version with the tofu, and also a vegetarian version with paneer cheese. Both were awesome. A perfect spice blend for a flavourful sauce.
erinwyso says
Tracy, thanks for the feedback, and I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Unknown says
This is absolutely delicious!
erinwyso says
So happy you liked!
Harold G Sanchez says
I'm the man who never cooks. I'm in my favorite Indian restaurant four to five times a week. They may never see me again after cooking this today, it's amazing, taste great. My only issue is the coconut oil. I burned a few gallons of gas trying to find it, not even the Indian grocer ever heard of it. Where can I find it?
erinwyso says
Harold, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed, thanks for your feedback! You should be able to find coconut oil in Whole Foods or Trader Joe's — it usually comes in what looks like a peanut butter jar and is solid at room temp. You can also order this online if you are not located near one of these stores: http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Organic-Virgin-Coconut/dp/B007UWNBYS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1387935985&sr=8-10&keywords=coconut+oil
Anonymous says
I made this today, and I can testify that it was excellent!!! It only needed one chili pepper in my opinion; it was quite spicy. I also had to add more salt, but that's because I am a newly returned vegan and am accustomed to overly salted food. It was so healthy and delicious and very close to what you'd get at your favorite Indian restaurant. 5 stars, thank you!
erinwyso says
so happy to hear … thanks for your feedback!
Anna Neefe says
This was absolutely delicious!! I added a bit more salt as well as cayenne pepper. SO delicious! Served with basmati rice and vegan naan from: http://www.veganricha.com/2011/12/naan-plain-garlic-stuffed-and-more.htmlSO GOOD!! Thanks for sharing!
Madelene says
I tried your recipe yesterday, thank you for posting it! 🙂
Alicia says
I just made this today and it's amaaaaaazing! I never thought spinach and tofu could taste so good. I will definitely be making this again. 🙂 Thanks you so much for the recipe!
erinwyso says
Alicia, thanks for your feedback and I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
afracooking says
I love the idea of marinating the tofu – I can just imagine that the coconut and vinegar would give it a paneer like taste. I have never seen coconut vinegar. Do you think I could replace it with another type of vinegar. Apple vinegar maybe?
erinwyso says
I've never used apple cider vinegar for this cheese before, and have had mixed reviews on using it instead of coconut vinegar. You should be able to find coconut vinegar in an asian grocer or online — good luck!
Kristy says
Saag Paneer was always my favorite Indian dish as well- so happy to have found a vegan version!
Alice | Smokin Tofu says
The recipe sounds great, but I absolutely love the photo. So well composed.
Lauren (PB&G) says
I had never tried palak paneer before going vegan and now I can't when we're out. I was so excited when I saw this post and made this for dinner last night (using almond milk for coconut milk since I was out).. AMAZING! I have leftovers for lunch today. Thank you so much!
erinwyso says
Glad you enjoyed — thanks for your feedback! : )
Lisa P. says
I trippled your recipe tonight, and it was just delicious. It was a little more saucy than yours, but there was homemade naan and lots of rice to mop it up. Yum! Thanks for sharing.
erinwyso says
Lisa,
I am so glad that you liked the recipe! Thanks for trying it out and for your feedback. I have never made my own naan, but maybe I should — finding prepared vegan naan is sometimes a bit of a challenge!
Lisa P. says
I used the oven version of this recipe, it turned out so well, and I used a pizza pan as I don't have a baking stone. Next time it will have some garlic and fresh coriander added. http://www.veganricha.com/2011/12/naan-plain-garlic-stuffed-and-more.html
erinwyso says
Looks fabulous, Richa is amazing!
Unknown says
You are an absolute saint! Palak Paneer is my absolute favorite food and I have been dying for it since I went vegan! You saved me from falling from grace!
erinwyso says
Glad to help bring palak paneer back into your life! : )
Alan Roettinger says
Voted! 🙂
erinwyso says
Thank you!!
Alan Roettinger says
Beautiful dish! This is the most creative way I've seen to make non-dairy paneer. So many people simply substitute tofu cubes for the paneer, which is a sad, tasteless stand-in for homemade paneer. I'm thinking the little bit of vinegar might give the cubes that characteristic underlying subtle sour note. Brilliant. I think I'll steal it and see if it'll work in my all-time favorite, "Mattar Paneer." The only suggestion I have (and it's for your health, not just flavor)is to use extra virgin coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.
erinwyso says
Thanks very Alan! Yes, I agree with you — the tofu needs fat with a hit of acidity to hit the mark in texture and taste of paneer. My favorite part was the bits of caramelized edges that formed around around the tofu during baking time. I hope it works well in your mattar paneer!
It did not occur to me to use coconut oil instead of veg oil but, you're right — that's much better!
Lorraine says
Can you use low-fat coconut milk? Also, I've never seen coconut vinegar; what would be a good substitute? Thanks 🙂
erinwyso says
You can, but it will taste better with full-fat coconut milk. : )
Coconut vinegar isn't critical to the marinade here, so if you can't find it, I'd just leave it out. Enjoy!
Richa says
ooooh.. this looks soooo gooood!! i need to make some this week again! just voted for your salad too.:)
erinwyso says
Thanks Richa — that means a lot, especially coming from YOU! Thank you so much for voting, too! xo
Caitlin says
wow, this looks amazing, lady! i really must try this out!
LittleMonsterx14 says
yes! i love palek paneer!! this looks phenomenal!!