Palak raita recipe – nutritious and delicious way to eat spinach with yogurt and few spices. Since spinach is super healthy, I am always looking for the ways to include in our diet. Very refreshing, cooling, full of nutrition and easy to make spinach raita is one of my favs.
During the summer season, I make raita very often. I made this on last weekend. Now summer is almost ending in India, I though I shouldn’t wait too long to post this recipe here.
Spinach or palak is one of the very nutritious green leafy vegetables. Because this is leafy green, I strongly recommend buying organic spinach. I always have spinach in my fridge because I add handful of it in my green smoothie for every morning.
In this raita, there is very subtle taste of spinach. No flavor is overpowering. This cooling and subtle flavored raita complements well any spicy rice dishes or biryanis. I have served this with spicy veg pulao and also roasted few urad papads to go with it for some crunch.
Addition of sesame seeds give slight nutty flavor to the raita. This flavor goes well with spinach.
I always say to use chilled yogurt for making any kind of raita. But for this recipe, we are cooking spinach and adding to the yogurt. Then the whole thing meaning raita needs to be chilled before serving. So in this case, it is not must to use chilled yogurt.
Check out other raita recieps
Bhindi raita // Cucumber raita // Mint raita // Carrot raita
How to make palak raita recipe or Spinach raita (Step by Step Photos):
1) Take yogurt in a bowl. Add red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, black salt and regular salt.
2) Beat it and mix it till everything is well combined and smooth. Keep it aside.
3) In a small pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Once hot add sesame seeds and saute for 30 seconds, they will start to pop and splutter.
4) Immediately add chopped ginger and green chili. Saute for 30-40 seconds or till the rawness of ginger goes away.
5) Now add chopped spinach.
6) Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes or till it is wilted.
7) Add this spinach mixture into the prepared yogurt.
8) Mix well.
Now chill the raita in the refrigerator for couple of hours before serving. Raita tastes best when served chilled.
Serving suggestion: Serve this palak raita or spinach raita with your veg biryani, veg pulao, any rice dish (e.g. capsicum rice, methi rice) or khichdi (e.g. oats khichdi or masala khichdi). It can be served as side dish with your meal (roti-sabzi) or paratha (e.g. aloo paratha, methi thepla).
Palak raita recipe (Spinach raita)
Ingredients (1 cup = 240 ml)
For palak raita recipe:
- 1 cup Plain yogurt (dahi or curd)
- Salt - to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Black salt (Kala namak)
For cooking spinach:
- 2 teaspoons Oil
- 1 teaspoon Sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon Ginger chopped finely
- 1 small Green chili chopped finely
- 1 cup Spinach (Palak) chopped and tightly packed
Instructions
Making palak raita recipe:
- Take yogurt in a bowl.
- Add red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, black salt and regular salt.
- Beat it and mix it till everything is well combined and smooth. Keep it aside.
Cooking spinach:
- In a small pan, heat the oil on medium heat.
- Once hot add sesame seeds and saute for 30 seconds, they will start to pop and splutter.
- Immediately add chopped ginger and green chili. Saute for 30-40 seconds.
- Now add chopped spinach. Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes or till it is wilted.
- Add this spinach mixture into the prepared yogurt.
- Mix well.
- Now chill the raita in the refrigerator for couple of hours before serving.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving
