How to Make Indian Palak Raita Asian Cooking Recipe Cuisine

India Palak Raita (Spinach with Yogurt)

This recipe was taken from centuries old cooking techniques and when possible applied modern cooking methods and/or ingredients.  It uses Asian cooking styles, Asian Spices, Asian Sauces and Asian Ingredients.  The style of cooking may have a slight alteration while still maintaining the dish's overall purpose.  In this blog we touch on recipes that may be predominant for the Chinese Cuisines.  We will also share recipes based upon country, or regions such as: Burma, Cambodia, Indian, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam.  Some cuisines are considered South Asian, South East Asian, Central Asian and/or Middle Eastern and may not be strictly connected to a specific country or culture.

Recipe Makes for 4 Servings:

2 medium bunches fresh spinach leaves

1 teaspoon table salt

1½ cups (375 grams) plain yogurt

½ teaspoon black salt (if unavailable, substitute regular salt)

2 green chiles, stemmed

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

6 to 8 whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

Wash the spinach leaves well. Roughly chop one bunch and put in a microwave-safe bowl. Add ½ teaspoon salt and cook in a microwave oven on high power for 1½ minutes. Alternatively, you can boil 2 cups (400 ml) water with ½ teaspoon salt in a saucepan over high heat and blanch the spinach leaves for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and shock in cold water. Let the spinach remain in the colander so that all the water drains away.

Whisk the yogurt and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt together in a deep bowl. Add the black salt and whisk again.

Put the cooked spinach and chiles in a food processor, and process to a smooth paste.

Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and peppercorns, and dry-roast over medium heat for 1 minute or until fragrant. Let cool slightly, then put the spices in a mortar and pound them to a coarse powder with a pestle.

Add the puréed spinach to the whisked yogurt and stir well. Put in the refrigerator to chill for 2 to 3 hours. Shred the remaining spinach leaves.

Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the shredded spinach and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.


Add some of the pounded cumin seeds and peppercorns to the yogurt mixture, and stir. Sprinkle some on top. Garnish with the sautéed spinach and serve.

Find Local Asian Markets

For the adventurous palate, a great side dish that compliments this recipe is Jaew Bong.  Discover more about Jaew Bong, check out www.jaewbong.com.

Enjoy..

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