A great way to introduce spinach which is a super food to our diet is by making parathas or flatbreads with it…
Spinach being a super food is packed with all good nutrients and vitamins. Since, it doesn’t have any intense taste it can be eaten raw or can be made into a smoothie. Surprisingly, cooking spinach will actually increase its nutrients as the body cannot break down the nutrients when eaten raw. There are so many ways of incorporating spinach into our dishes: add to salads, cook with chicken, add to stir fries and stews etc.
Spinach has been widely used in North India, it’s cooked, pureed and is combined with paneer or chicken known as Palak paneer. Palak in Hindi means Spinach. Yet another dish that’s popular in India is Palak paratha or Spinach Paratha, spinach is added to the wheat flour and made into a dough. It’s a great way to make kids eat this super green.
I often add spinach to soups along with lentil, makes a hearty and healthy soup; it’s cooked with chicken, spinach cakes or cutlets are delicious too. Add them to your eggs or omelets, that way you get to have your greens for breakfast. Or just make into a smoothie with other fruits like orange, cantaloupe etc. So many ways to make spinach into a great dish.
Here are the other spinach recipes that I’d posted before, click here.
Preparation Pictures
Spinach Dough
Rolled spinach dough
Cooking spinach paratha
- Wheat flour or Atta- 1½ cups + more while rolling the dough
- Spinach, chopped finely- 2 cups
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Green chilies, chopped- 2
- Dried fenugreek leaves- 1 tbsp (optional)
- Salt- to taste
- Lukewarm Water- ½ cup
- Oil- ½ tbsp
- Ghee- 2 tsp/paratha
- Chop the spinach very finely.
- In a large bowl, combine together the flour, spinach, cumin seeds, green chilies, dried fenugreek leaves and salt.
- Adding fenugreek leaves is just optional, it has a very intense smell so don't add too much. A little bit goes a long way.
- Slowly add the water, knead to a smooth dough.
- Pour the oil over the kneaded dough and spread it. Keep the dough aside for 10
- minutes.
- Make medium sized balls out of the dough.
- Place one ball over a cleaned flat surface or a board, dust with wheat flour and roll it to a round shape using a rolling pin. Keep dusting the flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium heat, add 1 tsp ghee.
- Place the rolled dough on the pan, cook the bottom side for 20 seconds.
- Flip it over and cook, gently press the spatula along the sides.
- Again flip it over and cook the other side as well till golden spots are formed, you could spread 1 tsp more ghee over it.
- Transfer to a plate, serve warm with your favorite curry.
