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5 min
19/01/2026
The suggestions in this guide will make an excellent palak paneer recipe, using techniques used by professional chefs, including controlled blanching for colour retention, controlled handling of purée to maintain freshness, and addition of smoky flavours through the dhungar technique.
This palak paneer recipe guide is more about the method of cooking rather than the ingredients that make up a palak paneer recipe. In a restaurant setting, the palak paneer may taste brighter, greener, and more aromatic than that of a home-cooking palak paneer dish, not due to additional cream or butter, but due to careful process control. In a professional kitchen, every aspect of making palak paneer is controlled through a series of mini-steps, starting at the time of blanching spinach right through to the final addition of smoke at the end. This article explains several actions taken by chefs that will turn a home-cooked version of the palak paneer recipe into a dish that comes close to being like that found in a fine restaurant.
The usual point at which the palak paneer recipe fails is at the spinach blanching stage, where the final product ends up as a dull, olive colour. Professional chefs blanch quickly so the spinach can be submerged in boiling salted water for a few seconds, long enough to soften slightly but not cook, then shocked in ice water to stop the degradation of chlorophyll, which therefore preserves colour. When the ice bath is missed in a palak paneer base recipe, it will eventually turn dark and muddy, no matter the freshness of the spinach.
After blanching, purée spinach carefully because if you over-purée, heat and oxygen will introduce possible discolouration or diminished flavours. Therefore, when creating a professional palak paneer recipe, chefs will use blenders to make smooth purées but avoid excessively heating purées and keep them separate until the end stages and fold the purée in just before serving to keep the colour vibrant and to enhance freshness.
In a palak paneer recipe made by professionals, paneer is never added directly to the palak gravy, but to achieve the proper texture and to avoid adding rubbery qualities, chefs soak the paneer cubes in a warm saline solution prior to cooking. In addition, some restaurants lightly sauté/cook paneer before adding it to help with sauce retention. These processes improve mouthfeel without changing palak paneer recipes.
The authentic taste of the palak paneer recipe comes from the method of dhungar. In this method, a piece of charcoal is heated until glowing red, placed in a small bowl on top of the finished palak paneer recipe, drizzled with melted ghee and covered, allowing the smoke to infuse the curry. This method gives the palak paneer recipe an added depth but does not overpower the spinach. It is important not to be heavy-handed with this method; instead, only use seconds' worth of exposure to the smoke.
In addition to using the dhungar method, professional kitchens will layer the fat within their palak paneer recipes at different stages. For example, oil is used early on to sauté the aromatics, but then a rich cream or butter is added at the end of the cooking process for visual appeal and fat. Using too much of the fat before the cream is added dulls the flavour and colours of the dish; likewise, only adding salt after adding in the spinach concentrates the seasoning and makes for a more uniform seasoning.
The difference between a home-style palak paneer recipe and an upgraded restaurant version's precision and restraint is what makes the big difference in palak paneer recipes. Properly prepped, each stage of preparation preserves the vibrancy of the finished dish. In addition, through each stage of preparation and at the end of each stage, a professional chef creates a beautiful palak paneer recipe that is bright and balanced without making it difficult for home cooks to duplicate the grade of palak paneer recipe that a chef can offer.
