Daawat Tandoori Restaurant: Palek Paneer

Photo: Palak Paneer from Daawat Tandoori Restaurant

Daawat Tandoori Restaurant: Palak Paneer

I tried the Palak Paneer, a North Indian dish of cottage cheese with spinach, from Daawat Tandoori Restaurant recently. This North Indian restaurant is located at Singapore Expo in Simei.

For first-timers, don't be alarmed at the greenish gluey sight when the palak paneer dish arrives. This palak paneer may not look very pretty but once you pop a spoonful into your mouth, you will get hooked!

The cottage cheese inside this Palak Paneerhas a texture similar to Chinese tofu. When cut into small cubes, the resemblance between palak paneer and tofu is uncanny. I like the curd-like bite as it almost melts in the mouth.

The spinach is grinded into a paste-like texture in palak paneer. The good thing about the palak paneer is that the vegetable taste does not overpower tastebuds with the presence of spinach. In fact you hardly notice there's any vegetable taste at all.

The palak paneer taste is surprisingly good, with a sweetness that belies its looks. There is also a bit of spicy chilli aftertaste. The fragrance of its North Indian herbs and spices makes the cottage cheese stand out from the usual Chinese food that I eat.

If you have never tasted cottage cheese and you like tofu with a robust sweetness with spice, this palak paneer from Daawat Tandoori is for you.

A small serving of palak paneer goes for $9.50. This dish goes very well with plain cooked Basmati rice.


26 June 2009: Latest Update
Restaurant is closed.