15 Healthy Palak (Spinach) Recipes

Many a times we all get confused with what to make for our lunch or dinner. Of course there is always a thought for a healthy meal, but recipes don't click all the time. 'Palak/Spinach' could be a wonderful option as it is rich in fibre, vitamins and above all 'iron'. A friend of mine asked me for some Palak/Spinach recipes and here are a few options that clicked me:
1. Palak Paneer
2. Aloo Palak
3. Dal Palak
4. Lehsuni Palak ka Saag
5. Palak Corn
6. Palak Paranthe
7. Namkeen Palak Poori (deep fried)
8. Hara Bhara Kabab
9. Palak Pakoda
10. Palak Patta Chat
11. Palak Patta Roll
12. Palak Soup
13. Palak Raita
14. Tamatar Palak ka Saag
15. Palak Methi Bhaji


PALAK PANEER:
Ingredients: Palak(spinach), paneer, onion, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds(jeera), turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, bay leaves, cloves, oil.
Method: Take palak leaves, wash them and boil/microwave them. Now take the boiled leaves and grind them into a fine paste on cooling. Take little oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, 1-2 cloves, 1-2 bay leaves, followed by chopped garlic, chilies and chopped onion. Fry this till the onion turns golden brown. Now add all the spices, salt and fry well. Add the palak paste to it and fry till the oil separates from the corners. Add little water for the desired consistency and boil. Add paneer cubes(fresh/pre-fried) and heat for 5 minutes. Cover the lid and heat for 2 minutes. Now serve hot with chapati/naan. You can garnish this with grated cheese.


ALOO PALAK:
Ingredients: Aloo(Potatoes), palak(spinach), onion, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds(jeera), turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, bay leaves, cloves, oil.
Method: Take palak leaves and potatoes, wash them and boil/microwave them. Now take the boiled palak leaves and grind them into a fine paste on cooling. On the other hand, peel off the boiled potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Take a small part of this boiled potato and mash it. Take little oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, 1-2 cloves, 1-2 bay leaves, followed by chopped garlic, chilies and chopped onion. Fry this till the onion turns golden brown. Now add all the spices, salt and fry well. Add the palak paste and some mashed potato to it and fry till the oil separates from the corners. Add potato pieces and heat for 10 minutes. Add little water for the desired consistency and boil. Cover the lid and heat for 5 minutes. Now serve hot with chapati/naan. You can garnish this with grated cheese.


DAAL PALAK:
Ingredients: Palak(spinach), moong daal, onion, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds(jeera), asafoetida(heeng), turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, oil.
Method: Take palak leaves, chop them, wash them and boil/microwave them. On the other hand take daal with a pinch of turmeric powder and little salt in a separate cooker and take 2 whistles. Take little oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, asafoetida(heeng), followed by chopped garlic, chilies and chopped onion. Fry this till the onion turns golden brown. Now add all the spices and fry well. Add boiled palak to it and fry till the oil separates from the corners. Add daal and take a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Now serve hot with chapati/naan. You can garnish this with grated coriander leaves.


LEHSUNI PALAK KA SAAG:
Ingredients: Palak(spinach), onion, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds(jeera), turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, oil.
Method: Take palak leaves, wash them and boil/microwave them. Now take the boiled leaves and grind them into a fine paste on cooling. Take little oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, followed by chopped garlic(good quantity), chilies and chopped onion. Fry this till the onion turns golden brown. Now add all the spices, salt and fry well. Add the palak paste to it and fry till the oil separates from the corners. Add little water for the desired consistency and boil. Cover the lid and heat for 2 minutes. Now serve hot with lachcha parantha/naan.


PALAK CORN:
Ingredients: Palak(spinach), corn kernels, onion, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds(jeera), turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, oil.
Method: Take palak leaves, wash them and boil/microwave them. Now take the boiled leaves and grind them into a fine paste on cooling. On the other hand, boil/steam/microwave corn kernels and keep them aside. Take little oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, followed by chopped garlic, chilies and chopped onion. Fry this till the onion turns golden brown. Now add all the spices, salt and fry well. Add the steamed corn kernels and fry for 3-5 minutes. Add the palak paste to it and fry till the oil separates from the corners. Add little water for the desired consistency and boil. Cover the lid and heat for 2 minutes. Now serve hot with chapati/naan.


PALAK PARANTHA:
Ingredients: Palak, aata(wheat flour), besan(gram flour), soya flour(optional), chopped green chilies, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, cumin seeds(jeera), ajwain, red chili powder, salt, oil, water.
Method: Chop the palak leaves and wash them properly (you could also use boiled palak paste). Take aata, add little besan and soya flour to it. Now add the chopped palak, chopped chilies, a tablespoon oil, all the spices and salt to it and prepare a solid dough by adding water. Now make healthy paranthas with it the way you like.


NAMKEEN PALAK POORI (deep fried):
Ingredients: Palak, aata(wheat flour), besan(gram flour), chopped green chilies, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, cumin seeds(jeera), ajwain, red chili powder, salt, oil, water.
Method: Chop the palak leaves and wash them properly. Take aata, add little besan to it. Now add the chopped palak, chopped chilies, 3-4 tablespoons oil(moin), all the spices and salt to it and prepare a tight dough after adding water. Now make round poories with this dough and deep fry them in oil. These poories can be stored for 2-3 days. Eat these with the green dhaniya-pudina chutney or tamatar chutney.


HARA BHARA KABAB:
Ingredients: Palak, Green Peas, Potatoes, chopped coriander leaves, corn flour, ginger paste, chopped green chilies, salt, chat masala, oil.
Method: Boil and peel 3-4 potatoes and boil 1 cup green peas. Parboil/blanch 100-150 gm palak leaves and chop them finely after squeezing out excess water. Now mash the peas and the potatoes and mix the palak to it. Add 2 tablespoons corn flour, ginger-garlic paste, chopped coriander and green chilies, salt and chat masala to it. Take small balls and flatten them in between your palms giving them the shape of a 'tikki/kabak'. Deep fry them in oil. You could also shallow fry them on a tawa. If you think that the binding is not proper, add a little more cornflour to it. Serve hot with green chutney.


PALAK PAKODA:
Ingredients: Palak, chopped onions, chopped coriander leaves, besan(gram flour), chopped green chilies, sooji, salt, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, oil.
Method: Wash the palak leaves and finely chop them. Add chopped onions, chopped coriander leaves, besan, green chilies, little sooji, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, all spices and water to make a pakoda batter. Deep fry pakodas in oil. Serve hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.


PALAK PATTA CHAT:
Ingredients: Palak leaves, besan(gam flour), sprouted beans(boiled)/ boiled yellow peas, chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves, green chutney, imli chutney, beaten curd, red chili powder, cumin powder, chat masala, salt, bhel sev(very thin namkeen used in bhel), anaar/pomegranate seeds and oil.
Method: Take big palak leaves, wash them and dip them in thick besan batter with salt. Now deep fry each of them till crisp. Take these 4-5 palak crisps and top them with sprouted beans (boiled)/ boiled matar(yellow peas), beaten curd, green chutney, sweet imli chutney, chopped onions, chopped coriander, all masala, salt. Garnish with 'bhel sev' and pomegranate seeds.

PALAK PATTA ROLL:
Ingredients: Palak leaves, besan(gram flour), dry mango powder(amchoor), salt, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, ajwain, asafoetida(heeng), oil.
For seasoning: Oil, mustard seeds(rai), sliced green chilies, curry leaves.
Method: Wash the palak leaves and dry them. Now prepare a thick besan batter with besan, water, salt and all spices. Take one palak leaf and cover the upper layer of the leaf with this besan batter. Now place another leaf on its top and cover this leaf with besan batter. Keep on piling these leaves one above the other. Use 5-6 leaves for one roll. Now when all leaves are done, make a roll with that pile and tie it with a thin white thread to avoid unrolling. Prepare 5-6 rolls like that.
Steam these rolls in a steamer/cooker for 10-12 minutes on high flame. Now take them out and cut each roll into 2-3 smaller rolls. You can deep fry these rolls in oil or you could prepare a seasoning by taking 2 tablespoons oil, heating it and adding mustard seeds, sliced green chilies and curry leaves to it. Add half a cup water to the seasoning and boil it. Now pour this seasoning over the steamed rolls.
Serve hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

PALAK SOUP:
Ingredients: Chopped Palak - 2 bunches, chopped onion-1, chopped garlic cloves - 3, black pepper powder, salt, milk (optional), cream, oil/butter and water.
Method: Take a pan and put 1 tablespoon oil/butter in it. Fry garlic and onion in it till they turn golden brown. Now add the chopped palak to it and cook for 2 minutes. Add some water to it and let it cook till the leaves become tender. Let this cool and blend the contents in a blender/mixer. Now to this puree, add little black pepper powder, salt and cook for some time. Add extra water for required consistency. You could also add 1/2 cup milk if you wish. At last garnish with bread sticks and cream and serve hot.

PALAK RAITA:
Ingredients: Palak leaves, beaten curd, cumin powder(jeera), red chili powder(optional), cumin seeds, asafoetida(heeng), salt.
Method: Wash the palak leaves and steam/boil/microwave them. Grind this into a paste on cooling. Now take the beaten curd and add this palak paste into it. Add cumin powder, red chili powder and salt to it. Season this with a tadka of asafoetida(heeng) and cumin seeds.

TAMATAR PALAK KA SAAG:
Ingredients: Palak - 2 bunch, chopped tomatoes - 2, chopped garlic cloves - 3, chopped chilly- 1, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, cumin powder, oil and water.
Method: Wash the palak leaves and chop them finely. Take oil in a pan and heat it. Add cumin seeds followed by chopped garlic and chilly. Fry them well and add chopped tomatoes. Now add all the spices, salt and cook well till the oil separates out from the corners. Now add chopped palak to it and cook for 2 minutes. Add a little water and cover the lid. Simmer for 7-10 minutes with occasional stirring in between. The leaves should become tender. Now garnish this with grated cheese and serve hot with Makki Roti/ Bajra Roti.

PALAK METHI BHAJI:
Ingredients: Palak leaves - 1 bunch, Methi leaves - 1 bunch, chopped garlic - 3 cloves, chopped onion - 1, chopped green chilly - 1, grated paneer - 1/4 cup, cumin seeds(jeera), turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, oil.
Method: Take palak and methi leaves, wash them and boil/microwave them. Now take the boiled leaves and grind them into a fine paste on cooling. Take little oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, followed by chopped garlic(good quantity), chilies and chopped onion. Fry this till the onion turns golden brown. Now add all the spices, salt and fry well. Add the palak methi paste and grated paneer to it and fry till the oil separates from the corners. Add little water for the desired consistency and boil. Cover the lid and cook for 2 minutes. Now serve hot with makki roti/lachcha parantha/naan.