Palak nu shaak | Palak ni bhaji | Gujarati spinach curry

Palak nu shaak aka palak ni bhaji is a healthy and comforting spinach recipe Indian which is frequently prepared in Gujarati houses during the winter season. This comforting dry curry is mildly spicy with the flavour of garlic. In this preparation, finely chopped spinach leaves are cooked with besan aka gram flour, onion, garlic, tomato and a few specific spices. It is a versatile green curry which can be accompanied by flatbreads like roti, chapati, paratha or you can also pair up the healthy curry with rice items like steamed rice, jeera rice etc. It is a very simple and easy recipe which makes it easily adaptable to a regular diet.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of Spinach
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Palak nu Shaak (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

During our childhood days, palak nu shaak was considered a winter delicacy because fresh spinach leaves were only available in the winter season during those days. But now a day’s spinach or palak is easily available throughout the year.

Palak nu shaak aka palak besan ki sabji is a very off-bit combination where a staple flour is combined with leafy vegetables to prepare a curry. But Indian cuisine is renowned for its unique and exceptional preparations. Though it sounds different, but the addition of chickpea flour enhances the taste, texture and flavour of the palak nu shaak to sky high.

Besan or chickpea flour has an unforgettable contribution to Indian culinary. It is one of the most versatile flour that I have ever seen. Many savoury and sweet dishes are prepared with besan in India. Besan is primarily used to prepare batter for myriad snack recipes like pakodas and bhajjis.

Besan has an inimitable contribution to Rajasthani and Gujarati cuisine. Many masterpiece recipes are prepared with besan or chickpea flour as a hero ingredient. Dhokla, Khandvi, Gatte ki sabji are the perfect examples of it.

I personally love healthy leafy vegetables, especially spinach. So, most of the time, I have spinach in my fridge. I just love to prepare different types of recipes with spinach aka palak. But I never tried palak nu shaak until one of my Gujarati friends asked me for dinner at her place. The dish that dragged my complete attention was Gujarati spinach curry. I just loved the composition and asked her for the recipe.

After that, I prepared the dish at home and everyone loved it, especially my daughter who always refuses to eat spinach. Since then the Gujarati spinach curry has become our family favourite and I often prepare this recipe at home for weekday lunch.

We all know the benefits of consuming green leafy vegetables, but it is always very tough to add these healthy stuffs to our kids’ diets. Palak nu shaak could be a great option to add spinach to kids’ regular diet. You can even prepare it by skipping chillies too. It gets prepared very quickly and can be a good option for your kid’s lunchbox with a pair of chapatis.

Palak curry is a very simple and easy-to-make recipe. The difficulty level of cooking this recipe is very low which is perfect for beginners. It gets prepared with very common ingredients which are readily available in any Indian kitchen pantry. The best part of the recipe is that it gets prepared very quickly without investing much time.

Palak nu shaak with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section. I have included all the tips and tricks below to make the recipe easier for you. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe and the hero ingredient of the recipe ‘Spinach’.

• The nutrients present in spinach help to control our blood sugar levels, blood pressure level and cholesterol level.
• The folic acid present in spinach is extremely beneficial for pregnant women.
• Spinach is low in carbs and full of fibre. They are extremely good for our digestive system and help to get rid of constipation.
• They are great source of vitamins and minerals. The vitamin C present in spinach makes our skin healthy and glowing.
• Any leafy greens like Spinach are very beneficial for our eyesight too. The high level of chlorophyll present in Spinach is great for our vision.

• Wash the spinach thoroughly and then finely chop it. Don’t wash after chopping the spinach.
• Always use finely chopped onions and tomatoes rather than using paste for a better texture of the curry.
• If you want to prepare the dish for kids then adjust the amount of chilli accordingly.
• Gujarati spinach curry is mildly sweet in taste. So, add a little bit of sugar into the curry. If you don’t like then skip it.
• Don’t skip whole spices from the recipe. It gives a nice flavour to the dish.

Spinach aka palak: The primary ingredient of the recipe. I have used finely chopped spinach for the dish.

Onion & Ginger-Garlic: These are the most common ingredients used to give texture and to flavour up the curry.

Tomato: The addition of tomatoes adds slight tanginess and enhances the taste of the dish.

Green chillies: It adds a heaty taste and refreshing flavour to the dish.

Whole spices: I have used mustard seeds and cumin seeds to temper the dish.

Ground spices: I have used turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and hing for the recipe. All the spices are equally important to flavour up the curry.

Water: Water is used to adjust the consistency of the recipe.

Salt: The most important ingredient which adds saltiness.

Sugar: It adds a mild sweetness to the dish.

Oil: To cook the dish. You can use any edible oil for the recipe like vegetable oil, soya oil, sunflower oil, olive oil etc.

To prepare the palak nu shaak, first wash the palak or spinach in running water and finely chop them.

Finely chop onions, tomatoes, garlic for the curry and make a ginger-garlic paste.

After this, put a pan on flame and add oil to cook. Once the oil is hot, temper the whole spices – mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allows them to crackle. Then add a little bit of hing aka asafoetida and cook for a few seconds.

Add chopped garlic into the pan and fry them till golden in colour.

Then add the chopped onions and cook them over medium flame for around 5-6 minutes till soft and pink in colour. Add ginger garlic paste, 2-3 green chillies and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cover the pan. Cook it on low flame for 5-6 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.

Add besan aka gram flour into the pan and cook it on low flame for another 3-4 minutes so it gets cooked properly and the raw smell disappears.

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, and salt, one by one into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on low flame.

Then add cumin powder, coriander powder into the pan and mix it. Cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes so the raw smell of spices goes away.

Put the flame on high, add half of the chopped spinach into the pan, and give a nice mix. Then add the rest of the spinach and mix it well. Put on the lid of the pan and cook it on low flame for 7-8 minutes. Stir in between if required.

Add water into the pan and mix it. Add sugar and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in between if required. Then switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Many palak recipes have already been shared in my previous post. You can check a few of them like

Chole palak recipe
Aloo palak ki sabji
Palak curry
Kala chana palak

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250ml

• 300 grams Spinach
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped
• 4-5 cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• 2 Tomatoes, small diced and deseeded
• 2-3 green Chillies
• 1 tablespoon Besan aka gram flour
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Hing aka Asafoetida
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• ½ teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhania powder)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons Oil, for Cooking
• ¾ cup of Water for Gravy

1. First, wash the spinach thoroughly under the running water and strain the excess water. Finely chop the spinach and keep them aside.
2. Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons of oil into the pan.
3. Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, and ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, one by one into the pan for tempering and allow them to crackle. Then add 1 teaspoon hing and give a stir for a few seconds.
4. Add chopped garlic into the pan and fry them till golden in colour.
5. Add the chopped onions and cook them over medium flame for around 5-6 minutes till soft and pink in colour.
6. Add 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 2-3 green chillies and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes and cover the pan. Cook it on low flame for 5-6 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
8. Add 1 tablespoon besan aka gram flour into the pan and cook it in low flame for another 3-4 minutes so it gets cooked properly and the raw smell disappears.
9. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder and salt, one by one into the pan and cook for couple of minutes in low flame.
10. Add ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder into the pan and mix it. Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes so the raw smell of spices goes away.
11. Put the flame in high and add half of the chopped spinach into the pan and give a nice mix. Then add rest of the spinach and mix it well. Put on the lid of the pan and cook it in low flame for 7-8 minutes. Stir in between if required.
12. Add ¾ cup water into the pan and mix it.
13. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in between if required.
14. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Transfer the palak nu shaak into a serving bowl. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the succulent dish with your favorite rice item or flat bread and enjoy the Gujarati delicacy.

Palak nu shaak | Palak ni bhaji | Gujarati spinach curry

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250ml

• 300 grams Spinach
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped
• 4-5 cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• 2 Tomatoes, small diced and deseeded
• 2-3 green Chillies
• 1 tablespoon Besan aka gram flour
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Hing aka Asafoetida
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• ½ teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhania powder)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons Oil, for Cooking
• ¾ cup of Water for Gravy

Instructions

1. First, wash the spinach thoroughly under the running water and strain the excess water. Finely chop the spinach and keep them aside.
2. Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons of oil into the pan.
3. Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, and ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, one by one into the pan for tempering and allow them to crackle. Then add 1 teaspoon hing and give a stir for a few seconds.
4. Add chopped garlic into the pan and fry them till golden in colour.
5. Add the chopped onions and cook them over medium flame for around 5-6 minutes till soft and pink in colour.
6. Add 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 2-3 green chillies and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes and cover the pan. Cook it on low flame for 5-6 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
8. Add 1 tablespoon besan aka gram flour into the pan and cook it in low flame for another 3-4 minutes so it gets cooked properly and the raw smell disappears.
9. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder and salt, one by one into the pan and cook for couple of minutes in low flame.
10. Add ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder into the pan and mix it. Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes so the raw smell of spices goes away.
11. Put the flame in high and add half of the chopped spinach into the pan and give a nice mix. Then add rest of the spinach and mix it well. Put on the lid of the pan and cook it in low flame for 7-8 minutes. Stir in between if required.
12. Add ¾ cup water into the pan and mix it.
13. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in between if required.
14. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.