Cheese news
TradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyIndiaDelhi High Court seeks FSSAI stand on PIL against non-dairy, analogous 'paneer'AwardsSimply Better: six generations of cheesemaking at Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese 13 October 2026 FreeAwardsSwiss Cheese Awards: Zwei Kategoriensiege für Käse aus der RegionIndiaThe great ‘paneer’ fraud: PIL in Delhi HC seeks clear disclosure by hotels on non-dairy substitutesTradeCOUNTRY LIFE: Benchmark falls 60 cents from August, $1.55 less than September 2025MakersThey know cheese better than anyone else. Meet the Master Cheesemakers at SartoriTradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyIndiaDelhi High Court seeks FSSAI stand on PIL against non-dairy, analogous 'paneer'AwardsSimply Better: six generations of cheesemaking at Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese 13 October 2026 FreeAwardsSwiss Cheese Awards: Zwei Kategoriensiege für Käse aus der RegionIndiaThe great ‘paneer’ fraud: PIL in Delhi HC seeks clear disclosure by hotels on non-dairy substitutesTradeCOUNTRY LIFE: Benchmark falls 60 cents from August, $1.55 less than September 2025MakersThey know cheese better than anyone else. Meet the Master Cheesemakers at Sartori
EveryCheese

Curries and stews

Palak paneer

North Indian curry of cubes of paneer in a smooth, spiced purée of spinach, garlic and ginger.

Palak paneer is cubes of fresh paneer cheese simmered in a smooth spinach sauce cooked with onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli and garam masala, often finished with a little cream. It comes from the Punjab and is one of the best known vegetarian dishes of North India, eaten with roti, naan or rice.

What goes in

Paneer: 25%25%Spinach: 40%40%Onion and tomato: 15%15%Garlic, ginger and green chilli: 10%10%Ghee or oil: 5%Cream and garam masala: 5%6parts
  • Paneer525%, Cubed.
  • Spinach840%, Blanched and puréed.
  • Onion and tomato315%, The masala base.
  • Garlic, ginger and green chilli210%, Aromatics.
  • Ghee or oil15%, For cooking.
  • Cream and garam masala15%, To finish.

Rough parts by weight. The ring shows each ingredient's share of the dish.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Quantities and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional way, in outline.

  1. Step 1: Simmer Blanch the spinach, cool it in cold water and purée it.
  2. Step 2: Fry Cut the paneer into cubes and fry lightly if you like.
  3. Step 3: Fry Fry cumin, onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in ghee, then add tomato and cook down.
  4. Step 4: Simmer Add the spinach purée and simmer briefly.
  5. Step 5: Simmer Add the paneer and warm through gently.
  6. Step 6: Serve Finish with cream and garam masala and serve with roti.
  7. Paneer: 25%25%Spinach: 40%40%Onion and tomato: 15%15%Garlic, ginger and green chilli: 10%10%Ghee or oil: 5%Cream and garam masala: 5%
    Finished Palak paneer, by share.

Paneer

Paneer is a fresh, unsalted cheese made by curdling hot milk with lemon juice or vinegar, draining the curds and pressing them into a block. It does not melt, so it holds its shape in a curry and takes on the flavours around it. In India it is the main source of protein for many vegetarians and is cooked across the north and beyond.

Green and smooth

The spinach is blanched quickly and cooled so it keeps its colour, then puréed. The base of onion, tomato, garlic and ginger is cooked separately, and the purée is added near the end. Many cooks fry the paneer lightly first, while others add it raw for a softer texture. A similar dish, saag paneer, uses mustard greens or a mix of greens.

Where it is used

Family dinnerDhaba meal

The cheeses in it

PaneerThe fresh cheese that holds its shape.

More on EveryCheese

No cheeses here yet. New pages are added every day.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are a rough, illustrative ratio, not a recipe: every family and kitchen makes it differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven cheeses you may not know, the cheese days of the week ahead, and one dish explained step by step.