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

Palak Paratha

Spinach Paratha
Vegetarian●●●Origin PunjabPrep 15–20 minutes, plus standing timeCook 20 minutesMakes 10

These vibrant green Indian flatbreads are made with a spiced spinach dough shallow-fried in plenty of butter. Crisp on the outside and tender within, they offer a gentle heat from green chillies and a bright, savoury finish.

Ingredients

01
Spinach leaf · Palak
600 g
vegetable
02
Wholemeal flour · Attaplus extra for dusting
500 g
flour
03
Salt · Namak
~0.3 gpinch
salt
04
Green chilli · Hari Mirchchopped
20 g2 tablespoons
vegetable
05
Butter · Makhan
400 g
dairy
06
Mango pickle · Aam ka AcharMake it: Aam ka Achar →
to taste
other
07
Yogurt · Dahi
to taste
dairy

Method

  1. Place 600 g spinach in a saucepan with a splash of water and blanch over medium heat for 1 minute.
  2. Drain the spinach, shock it immediately in cold water, and squeeze out all excess liquid thoroughly.
  3. Transfer the blanched spinach to a blender and process until completely smooth.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach purée with 500 g flour, 0.3 g salt, 19.8 g green chilli, and 2 tsp dried pomegranate seeds.
  5. Knead into a soft dough, adding a trickle of water if needed, then cover with a damp cloth and rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
  6. Divide the rested dough into 10 equal portions and roll each into a smooth ball.
  7. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each ball out into a flat round roughly 15 to 18 cm (6 to 7 inches) across.
  8. Heat a tawa or heavy skillet over medium heat, lay in a dough round, and cook dry for 1 minute until partially set.
  9. Flip the paratha, spoon about 40 g of the 400 g butter around the edges, and shallow-fry for 1 minute more until golden brown patches form on both sides.
  10. Repeat the frying process for the remaining dough rounds and serve hot alongside yogurt and mango pickle.

Don't have something?

Spinach leaf
  • Spinach

    Use the same weight; exactly the same leaf, so no real change except trimming stalks.

  • Amaranth leaves

    Use the same weight; wilts faster and is slightly milder, so cook briefly.

  • Mustard leaves

    Use 80% of the weight and blanch first; stronger and peppery, so it will change the flavour noticeably.

Wholemeal flour
  • Whole wheat flour

    Use the same weight; it is almost the same, though slightly finer, so add water gradually.

  • Plain flour

    Use the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the result is lighter and less nutty.

  • Flour

    Use the same weight as plain flour; reduce water slightly and expect less bran and colour.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Dried pomegranate seed
Butter
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 100% of the weight. If the original recipe relies on salted table butter, add a pinch of salt to balance.

  • Ghee

    Use 80% to 85% of the weight. Ghee is pure butterfat with moisture removed; it yields a deeper, nuttier flavour and handles high heat better.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 80% of the weight for frying or tempering. The dish loses sweet dairy richness but remains glossy and light.

Mango pickle
  • Mixed pickle

    Use the same weight and chop finely; the vegetables differ but the oil and spice balance is similar.

  • Pickle

    Use the same weight; generic pickle varies in heat and salt, so taste before adding extra salt.

  • Mango pickle with jaggery

    Use 90% of the weight; it is sweeter, so reduce any sugar in the dish.

Yogurt
  • Plain yogurt

    Use 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.

  • Single cream

    Use 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Similar dishes

Chapaati
Chapati
Chapaati has a neutral, nutty wheat taste instead of the rich, buttery, and chilli-spiced flavour of this dish.
  • Same: Chapaati is an unleavened Indian flatbread seasoned with salt, sharing the same basic dough foundation as this dish.
  • Different: Chapaati is cooked dry on a griddle rather than shallow-fried, omitting the spinach, green chillies, butter, yogurt, and mango pickle found in this dish.
Phulka
Puffed Bread
Phulka has a mild, toasted wheat taste instead of the rich, buttery, and spicy green chilli flavours found in this dish.
  • Same: Phulka is also an unleavened Indian wheat flatbread prepared on a hot griddle.
  • Different: Phulka puffs dry over open heat using minimal vegetable oil, lacking the spinach, green chillies, rich butter, and accompanying yogurt and mango pickle of this dish.
Aloo ka Paratha
Shallow-fried Spicy Potato Stuffed Bread
Aloo ka Paratha tastes richer and more potato-forward, with more chilli heat and tang from pomegranate seeds and jaggery mango pickle, while this dish tastes brighter from spinach and butter.
  • Same: Aloo ka Paratha shares wholemeal flour, green chilli, dried pomegranate seeds, and shallow-frying with this dish.
  • Different: Aloo ka Paratha is stuffed with mashed potato and uses ghee, ginger, coriander, and chilli powder, while this dish mixes spinach into the dough and uses butter.
Methi ki Roti
Fenugreek Bread
Methi ki Roti tastes more bitter from the fenugreek and less rich and buttery than this dish, with a similar gentle heat from green chilli.
  • Same: Methi ki Roti shares wholemeal flour, green chilli, salt, and butter with this dish, and both are flatbreads.
  • Different: Methi ki Roti uses fenugreek leaves instead of spinach, has no dried pomegranate seeds, mango pickle, or yogurt, uses much less butter, and cooks on a hot griddle rather than shallow-frying in plenty of butter.