Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Palak
Palak (Spiced Spinach)

Palak

Spiced Spinach
Vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 15 minutesCook 15 minutes

A dry, vibrant spinach side dish cooked in pungent mustard oil and tempered with whole coriander seeds and toasted chillies.

Coriander seeds

1.7 gFried in the hot oil (step 2)
01
Coriander seeds · Sabut Dhania
1.7 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep whole: they go into the hot oil first.

Dried red chillies

2 gAdded to the tempered oil (step 3)
01
Dried red chilli · Sukhi Lal Mirch
2–3 g2–3 chillies
spice
Keep whole: they go into the oil once the coriander has crackled.

Everything else

01
Mustard oil · Sarson Ka Tel
91 g100 ml
oil/fat
02
Spinach · Palakstems removed and chopped
500 g
vegetable
03
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Heat 91.3 g mustard oil in a heavy-based pan or kadhai over high heat, then turn the heat down.
  2. Add the coriander seeds and fry for about 1 minute until they begin to crackle.
  3. Add the dried red chillies and fry for roughly 1 minute until they darken slightly.
  4. Stir in 500 g spinach and salt to taste, tossing thoroughly. Turn the heat down to its lowest setting, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove the lid and simmer uncovered for 1 to 2 minutes until all moisture has boiled off.

Don't have something?

Mustard oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight. It handles high-heat cooking well, but lacks the signature pungent, nasal heat of mustard oil.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use equal weight. Neutral in flavour, so your curry will lack the characteristic Bengali or North Indian pungent punch.

Coriander seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Dried red chilli
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Spinach
  • Amaranth leaves

    Use equal weight; trim tough stems and cook as directed. Yields a very similar melting texture, though red varieties will tint the dish.

  • Radish leaves

    Use equal weight, finely chopped. Slightly more peppery, so sauté for two minutes longer to soften the bite.

  • Mustard greens

    Use 75% of the weight, finely shredded. Adds a robust, peppery bitterness; balance with a tiny pinch of sugar if needed.

Similar dishes

Pata Bhaja
Batter-fried Spinach Leaves
Pata Bhaja is crunchy and batter-rich, lacking the sharp heat and toasted spice flavor of the dried chillies and coriander seeds in this dish.
  • Same: Pata Bhaja also uses spinach cooked in pungent mustard oil and seasoned with salt.
  • Different: Instead of being sautéed with coriander seeds and dried red chillies, Pata Bhaja coats the spinach leaves in a gram flour batter and deep-fries them in more oil.
Pata Bhaja
Batter-fried Spinach
Pata Bhaja is crisp and rich without the toasted spice and mild heat found in this tender dish.
  • Same: Both dishes feature spinach cooked in pungent mustard oil with salt.
  • Different: Pata Bhaja is batter-coated and deep-fried rather than sautéed, omitting the dried red chillies and coriander seeds used here.
Palang ka Kapha
Puréed Spinach
Palang ka Kapha tastes richer and more allium-forward with heat from fresh green chillies, lacking the sharp mustard oil bite and toasted coriander flavor of this dish.
  • Same: Palang ka Kapha also features spinach seasoned with dried red chillies and salt.
  • Different: Instead of being dry-cooked in mustard oil with coriander seeds, Palang ka Kapha is puréed and thickened into a curry using vegetable oil, ghee, onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies, and asafoetida.
Masiyal
Spinach Mash
Masiyal tastes sour from tamarind and earthy from stewed lentils, lacking the sharp, pungent mustard-oil heat of this dry dish.
  • Same: Masiyal also uses spinach as its green base and tempers it with dried red chillies.
  • Different: Masiyal is a wet mash built with toor dal, tamarind extract, and vegetable oil, flavoured with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, and sambar masala instead of whole coriander seeds.