Kashmiri Haak Paneer – Instant Pot Kale Paneer Curry
Not everyone likes kale. I am telling you, if you have never tried kale, dislike kale or are looking for a new recipe to add to your collection, this is it. This recipe is simple, uses a few ingredients are creates an awesome side dish.
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 Lacinato kale bunch (4.5 cups chopped)
- 180 grams paneer (1/2 pack of 12.8 oz Haldiram paneer) (6.4 oz)
- 4 tbsp oil of choice
- 3 whole cloves (laung)
- 1 whole dried red chili pepper
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1 and 1/4 cup water (divided)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (haldi)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground fennel (saunf powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (jeera powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (sonth)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (optional) (helps maintain the green color)
- 1 serrano pepper, small, whole (hari mirch)
- 1/2 tsp kashmiri tikki masala (optional)
Instructions
Prep
- Chop each kale leaf coarsely to large 6 to 7 inch pieces each. Next, rinse the kale well in a colander filled with water a couple of times. Drain all the excess water.
- The paneer needs to be chopped into 2-inch by 2-inch cubes. For half the pack of paneer, I had about 9 pieces of paneer.
Cook
- Select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal. Add oil to the pot.
- When the oil is hot, add in chopped paneer pieces to the pot and let them sauté for 3 minutes until they are slightly golden. Keep turning them every minute to make sure they don’t stick to the pot.
- After the paneer is golden, add in cloves, whole red chili pepper and asafoetida.
- After 30 seconds, add in Kashmiri chili powder and ¼ cup water. Stir the chili powder and water well to prevent the chili from burning. Make sure not to break the paneer.
- Further, in 30 seconds, add in ground turmeric, salt, ground fennel, ground cumin, ground ginger and stir well. Next add in 1 cup water and baking soda. Stir well. Then add the haak and mix well. Make sure the haak is submerged in the water. Add in the whole serrano pepper at this point.
- Further, close the lid and select manual/high pressure for 3 minutes. When done quick pressure release. Releasing pressure immediately is key to keep the haak green.
- Open the lid and add Kashmiri tikki masala (optional). Stir well. It needs to have a little gravy. Finally, transfer into a serving bowl right away. Serve hot over steamed rice.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made with collard greens. Traditionally Kashmiri haak is similar to collard greens, however, I attempted this with Kale and absolutely loved the texture. You can choose to use either.