palak kofta recipe with step by step pics. paneer palak kofta gravy has crispy soft paneer stuffed koftas dunked in a creamy onion-tomato gravy. this palak kofta recipe has many textures and flavors. the umami flavor of spinach, the softness of paneer in the koftas blend very well with the lightly sweet and tangy tomato onion gravy.
this recipe of paneer palak koftas is also known as sham savera and is a signature recipe of celebrity chef sanjeev kapoor. i first came across sham savera recipe in my teens. later in my home science classes we had made it as a team for a luncheon menu for a college guest.
i make a truly homestyle version of the same cutting down on butter and cream. so this sham savera recipe has less oil and made without butter and cream. so its not like the sham savera served in restaurants. i have had the restaurant versions too and i always find the gravy too oily.
the recipe is roughly adapted from sanjeev’s kapoors sham savera recipe. to see the new version of the recipe you can check this – foodfood channel youtube video and to see the older version which aired many years ago on khana khazana zee tv show you can check this zee tv youtube video.
koftas are vegetable dumplings that can be had with a side dip or chutney. koftas can also be dunked in various types of gravies. so far i have shared many kofta recipes likes:
- malai kofta (restaurant style recipe)
- lauki kofta (homestyle punjabi recipe)
- cabbage kofta (simple homestyle recipe)
- veg kofta recipe (restaurant style recipe)
- aloo kofta recipe (easy restaurant style recipe)
making any kofta based gravy dish takes time. when short of time i make the gravy a day before and fry koftas the next day. i also knead the dough for rotis or naan a day before. so the next day i just need to make the koftas and fry them along with making rotis.
for this paneer palak kofta also you can either make the gravy or the koftas a day before. if making the kofta, then the mixture or the kofta balls can be refrigerated.
even though this recipe of palak kofta is homestyle without addition of cream or butter, still it is heavy. one to two koftas are enough for a person with a medium appetite. these koftas are large and not small. these koftas can also be air fried instead of deep fried.
palak kofta gravy is best made on a special occasion or for a weekend meal. palak kofta is best served with chapatis, phulkas, naan or tandoori roti. you can also serve with jeera rice or garam masala rice or peas pulao.
few more spinach recipes on blog which you may like are:
palak kofta recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR palak kofta recipe
outer covering for palak kofta
- 200 grams spinach or 4.5 to 5 cups chopped spinach
- 1 green chili
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger, chopped
- ½ cup besan (gram flour)
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- salt as per taste
for inner stuffing
- 100 grams paneer - grated
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- 7 to 8 strands saffron - optional
- 1.5 tablespoons rice flour or corn flour (corn starch)
- salt as required
other ingredients
- 1 to 2 tablespoons rice flour or corn starch for coating
- oil for deep frying, as required
for kofta gravy
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 1 black cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
- ¾ cup chopped onion or 1 large onion or 100 grams onion
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves
- 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes or 3 medium to large tomatoes or 250 grams tomatoes
- 12 large king sized cashews - whole or roughly chopped (use 15 to 17 cashews if using small sized cashews)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup water added later or add as required
- 1 tablespoon butter - optional
- ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
- ½ teaspoon kasuri methi - crushed
- salt as required
for serving
- 1 inch ginger, julienne
- 1 green chili - cut in thin sticks or strips
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cream - optional
HOW TO MAKE palak kofta recipe
making outer covering for palak kofta
- using a colander rinse 200 grams spinach leaves very well in water. roughly chop and add the chopped spinach in the grinder jar. you will need about 4.5 to 5 cups chopped spinach.
- then add 1 green chili (chopped), 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon chopped ginger.
- grind to a smooth puree. do not add any water while grinding.
- heat a pan. keep flame to a low and add ½ cup besan (gram flour).
- stirring often roast besan till it changes color and becomes aromatic.
- no need to roast too much. the besan just need to be aromatic and the color should change.
- add the palak puree to the roasted besan. mix very well.
- add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder and salt as per taste.
- mix again and switch off flame. let the spinach mixture come to a room temperature. then cover and refrigerate it for 30 to 40 minutes.
making paneer stuffing
- grate 100 grams paneer in a plate or bowl.
- add 1.5 tablespoon rice flour (or corn flour), ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 pinch grated nutmeg and 7 to 8 saffron strands (optional). i have used rice flour. mix well.
- now take some portion of the paneer in your palms and make small balls of the same. cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- later remove the spinach mixture from the fridge.
- from the spinach mixture, make the same number of balls as that of the paneer. flatten them and keep aside.
- take each spinach mixture and flatten it more.
- place the paneer ball in the center. bring the edges on top.
- join the edges and roll gently to a smooth kofta. make all paneer palak koftas this way.
- sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons rice flour in a plate or board. coat each kofta evenly with the rice flour and dust off the excess. you can also use corn flour instead of rice flour. cover and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
frying palak kofta
- heat oil for deep frying in kadai or pan. add oil as required. let the oil become medium hot. gently place the paneer palak kofta in the medium hot oil.
- add number of koftas depending on the size of kadai. oil should not be cold or else koftas can break.
- turn over each kofta gently when the base is light golden and crisp.
- turn over again and continue to fry till the outer crust looks crisp and golden. you can turn over a couple of times, but do it gently as the koftas can break. overall fry koftas for 4 to 5 minutes on medium flame.
- remove fried palak kofta with a slotted spoon. this way fry remaining batches of palak kofta.
- place on kitchen paper towels. these palak paneer koftas taste good and you can even have them as a snack.
making palak kofta gravy
- heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai. add 1 tej patta, 1 inch cinnamon, 2 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1 black cardamom and ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera).
- fry till the spices splutter and become aromatic.
- then add ¾ cup chopped onion. mix well and sauté onions till they become translucent.
- then add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.
- mix and continue to sauté till the onions become light golden.
- add 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes. mix and sauté for 1 minutes.
- then add 12 large cashews (whole or roughly chopped), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder. mix very well.
- add 1 cup water. mix and simmer on medium-low flame till the tomatoes soften.
- the tomatoes have to be softened completely. then switch off flame and let this mixture cool down.
- add the onion-tomato mixture in a grinder jar. remove tej patta before grinding.
- blend to a smooth consistency. do not add water while grinding.
- remove in a pan. add about ¼ cup water or as required.
- season with ½ teaspoon sugar and salt as per taste. you can also add 1 tablespoon butter at this step.
- mix very well and on a low flame heat through the onion-tomato gravy. let it come to a boil.
- then crush ½ teaspoon kasuri methi and add in the gravy. mix and switch off flame.
serving palak kofta
- pour the hot gravy in a serving bowl.
- slice each kofta in two halves.
- gently place the paneer palak kofta halves in the gravy.
- while serving palak kofta place some ginger julienne and green chili strips. you can also drizzle some cream if you want. some coriander leaves can also be added for garnishing.
making palak kofta recipe with stepwise pics
a) making outer covering for palak kofta
1. using a colander rinse 200 grams spinach leaves very well in water. roughly chop and add the chopped spinach in the grinder jar. you will need about 4.5 to 5 cups chopped spinach.
2. then add 1 green chili (chopped), 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon chopped ginger.
3. grind to a smooth puree. do not add any water while grinding.
4. heat a pan. keep flame to a low and add ½ cup besan (gram flour).
5. stirring often roast besan till it changes color and becomes aromatic.
6. no need to roast too much. the besan just need to be aromatic and the color should change.
7. add the palak puree to the roasted besan.
8. mix very well. if the mixture looks loose and not thick, then you can add some more roasted besan.
9. add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder and salt as per taste.
10. mix again and switch off flame. let the spinach mixture come to a room temperature. then cover and refrigerate it for 30 to 40 minutes.
b) making paneer stuffing
11. meanwhile you can start with the paneer stuffing. grate 100 grams paneer in a plate or bowl or about ½ cup grated paneer.
12. add 1.5 tablespoon rice flour (or corn flour), ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 pinch grated nutmeg and 7 to 8 saffron strands (optional). i have used rice flour.
13. mix well.
14. now take some portion of the paneer in your palms and make small balls of the same. cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
15. later remove the spinach mixture from the fridge.
16. from the spinach mixture, make the same number of balls as that of the paneer. flatten them and keep aside.
17. take each spinach mixture and flatten it more.
18. place the paneer ball in the center.
19. bring the edges on top.
20. join the edges and roll gently to a smooth kofta.
21. make all paneer palak koftas this way.
22. sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons rice flour in a plate or board. coat each kofta evenly with the rice flour and dust off the excess flour. you can also use corn flour instead of rice flour. cover and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
23. heat oil for deep frying in kadai or pan. add oil as required. let the oil become medium hot. gently place the kofta in the medium hot oil.
24. add number of koftas depending on the size of kadai. oil should not be cold or else koftas can break.
25. i used less oil for frying and thus the koftas were like getting shallow fried. so with a spoon i was removing the hot oil from the kadai and adding on the koftas so that the top gets cooked.
26. turn over each kofta gently when the base is light golden and crisp.
27. turn over again and continue to fry till the outer crust looks crisp and golden. you can turn over a couple of times, but do it gently as the koftas can break. overall fry koftas for 4 to 5 minutes on medium flame.
28. remove fried palak kofta with a slotted spoon. this way fry remaining batches of palak kofta.
29. place on kitchen paper towels. these paneer palak koftas taste good and you can even have them as a snack.
making gravy for paneer palak koftas
30. heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai. add 1 tej patta, 1 inch cinnamon, 2 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1 black cardamom and ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera).
31. fry till the spices splutter and become aromatic.
32. add ¾ cup chopped onions.
33. mix well and sauté onions till they become translucent.
34. then add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.
35. mix and continue to sauté till the onions become light golden.
36. add 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes.
37. mix and sauté for 1 minutes.
38. then add 12 large cashews (whole or roughly chopped), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder.
39. mix very well.
40. add 1 cup water.
41. mix and simmer on medium-low flame till the tomatoes soften.
42. the tomatoes have to be softened completely. then switch off flame and let this mixture cool down.
43. add the onion-tomato mixture in a grinder jar. remove tej patta before grinding.
44. blend to a smooth consistency. do not add water while grinding.
45. remove in a pan.
46. add about ¼ cup water or as required. for a medium consistency gravy, you can add more water.
47. season with ½ teaspoon sugar and salt as per taste. you can also add 1 tablespoon butter at this step.
48. mix very well and on a low flame heat through the onion-tomato gravy. let it come to a boil. stir at intervals.
49. then crush ½ teaspoon kasuri methi and add in the gravy. mix and switch off flame.
50. pour the hot gravy in a serving bowl.
51. slice each kofta in two halves.
52. gently place the palak paneer kofta halves in the gravy.
53. while serving palak kofta place some ginger julienne and green chili strips. you can also drizzle some cream if you want. some coriander leaves can also be added for garnishing.
