Palak Ki Sabji | Palak Sabzi
The cooler days in India bring with it a bounty of fresh leafy greens that are a storehouse of nutrients and an amazing ingredient to make a variety of seasonal dishes. And I must say that my most favorite greens is the palak or spinach. Hence, the quintessential Palak Ki Sabji. This one pan Palak Ki Sabji is a comforting dry potato and spinach dish, which is also vegan and gluten-free. I add some coconut at the end, to give it a signature touch.
About Palak Ki Sabji
I like the Palak sabzi in both the dry and gravy versions. While in this post, you will find the dry sabzi version of this popular spinach-based preparation, you can even try out the gravy style Aloo Palak Curry. This too, is as delectable as the other one.
Usually, when making a recipe with any green leafy vegetable like spinach, fenugreek, amaranth, etc. for lunch boxes, it is always better to pluck the leaves and keep them in the refrigerator.
Then, in the morning, just rinse, chop the leaves and use it to cook the dish. This makes it handy and quicker, all in all a hassle-free process.
For this Palak Ki Sabji, you can take the same route when preparing for your lunch boxes. Also, this particular recipe uses all basic ingredients that you will not have a problem in sourcing.
I have added potatoes to make it more hearty and filling. Instead of potatoes you can even use baby potatoes.
Just get your bunch of palak, and you’re good to go. Most of the spice powders too used in it are all your regular ones from the Indian masala box.
Though, a typical Palak Ki Sabzi will not have coconut in it. But I add it, as it only enhances the flavors. No fresh coconut at home? Use the desiccated variety instead.
Further, if you are not used to the coconuty taste in your sabzis, then skip it all together. In any way, this dish will be tasty.
I always try and formulate recipes that can be easily scaled to cook for larger number of people. The same goes for this Palak Ki Sabzi as well.
Your serving options include pairing it with poori, chapati/roti/phulka, plain parathas, dal-rice or any other Indian meal.
How to make Palak Ki Sabji
Cook Potatoes
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add ⅓ cup chopped onions. Mix well.
2. Sauté onions on medium-low heat till they turn translucent and soften.
3. Then, add 2 to 3 sliced or slit green chilies and ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic.
Mix well and sauté for some seconds or till raw aroma of garlic goes away. You can even lightly brown the garlic, if you want.
4. Add 1.25 cups chopped potatoes. Make sure to chop the potatoes in small cubes, so that they cook faster.
5. Mix very well.
6. Then, add the below mentioned spices one by one and stir to combine and mix:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
Mix the ground spices on a low heat taking care that they do not burn.
7. Add salt as required.
8. Add ½ cup water.
9. Mix well.
10. Cover the pan with a lid and on a low to medium-low heat cook till the potatoes are almost done.
Check when the potatoes are cooking. In case the water dries up and the potatoes are undercooked, you can add some more water.
11. Simmer and cook till the potatoes are almost done.
Make Palak Ki Sabzi
12. Now, add 3 cups finely chopped spinach.
13. Mix the spinach very well and sauté till the leaves wilt. Keep in mind that spinach gets cooked faster.
14. Stir at intervals and sauté till the spinach leaves wilt and are softened. Make sure there are no liquids in the pan once the spinach leaves are cooked.
15. Add 3 tablespoons fresh grated coconut. You can also use desiccated coconut.
16. Add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder.
17. Mix very well and switch off the heat.
18. Serve Palak Sabzi with chapati or poori or as a side with your Indian meals.
Roti-Sabzi
This Palak Ki Sabji makes for a great meal when paired with your regular chapati, phulka or roti. In India we love to have sabji with roti or paratha or as a side dish with dal and rice. Thus I have a shared a lot of other sabzi recipes which can be made on an everyday basis.
In addition to this Palak Ki Sabji, some of my other favorites are Aloo Methi, Lauki Ki Sabji, Bhindi ki Sabji and Aloo Capsicum. These will also change your perspective towards all those vegetables, that you might take as the most uninteresting ones.
The best part of sabzis or dry vegetable preparations is that they get done quickly, yet are delicious and wholesome. Thus, perfect to be packed in lunch boxes as well.
Expert Tips for Palak Sabzi
- Make sure to rinse the spinach leaves very well, to get rid of the dirt or mud, before using it in the dish.
- I like my Palak Ki Sabji a little spicy. But if you belong to the non-spicy or less spicy lot, then lessen the quantity of green chillies and red chilli powder accordingly. Same goes for the spice powders as well.
- If you are not adding the coconut in the end, you can squeeze some lemon over it and enjoy it with your dal-rice combination.
- You can use new potatoes or baby potatoes as well, to make this Palak Ki Sabji.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil – any neutral flavored oil
- 3 potatoes – medium-sized or 1.25 cups chopped potatoes
- 200 grams spinach or 3 cups finely chopped spinach
- 1 onion medium-sized or ⅓ cup chopped onions
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 2 to 3 green chilies – sliced or slit
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder (ground cumin)
- ½ cup water
- salt as required
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 3 tablespoons grated coconut – fresh or frozen, can also add desiccated coconut
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse spinach leaves very well in water to get rid of any mud clinging on the leaves or stems. Finely chop them and keep aside.If the stems are tender, then only use them to make this dish.
- Rinse, peel and chop potatoes in small cubes. Make sure to chop the potatoes in small cubes, so that they cook faster.
- Finely chop the onion. Also slit or slice 2 to 3 green chilies.
Making palak ki sabji
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions. Mix well.
- Sauté onions till they turn translucent on medium-low heat.
- Then add sliced or slit green chillies and finely chopped garlic.
- Mix well and sauté for some seconds till the raw aroma of garlic goes away. You can also choose to lightly brown garlic if you prefer.
- Add the chopped potatoes. Mix very well.
- Next add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix again.
- Add salt as required.
- Add ½ cup of water. Stir to combine.
- Cover the pan with a lid and on a low to medium-low heat cook the potatoes till they are almost done.
- Do check when the potatoes are cooking. In case the water dries up and the potatoes are undercooked, add some more water.
- Simmer and cook till the potatoes are almost done.
- Now add 3 cups finely chopped spinach. Mix the spinach very well and saute till the leaves wilt. Note that spinach gets cooked faster.
- Stir at intervals and saute till the spinach leaves wilts and are softened. Make sure there are no liquids in the pan once the spinach leaves are cooked.
- Add the fresh grated coconut. You can also use desiccated coconut.
- Add garam masala powder. Mix very well and switch off the heat.
- Serve Palak ki Sabji with chapati or poori.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made with new potatoes or baby potatoes.
- Adjust the spices according to your taste preferences. You can easily reduce the amount of green chillies and chilli powder.
- Both the regular spinach or baby spinach can be added. If the stems are tender, then only add them to the dish. If you like you can omit adding the tender stems and only use the leaves.
- For frozen spinach, thaw it first. Then press it to remove all the water.
- The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
Nutrition
This Palak ki Sabji recipe post from the archives first published in May 2017 has been updated and republished on 1 September 2022.
Loved the recipe.. different from the way others cook it, so different taste and different texture. Your recipes are always very dependable and authentic, well researched..I always check out your version as a final reference whenever try anything new or even old, for that matter. Especially love your Kashmiri recipes though I’m a vegetarian and therefore my range is limited.Thank you Dassana.
thank you sunita. it feels good reading your comment. i do develop and test recipes a couple of times or even more times before adding them on the website. i do not want anyone’s effort, ingredients, time etc going waste. i do try my best to give tips wherever possible so that the final dish turns out good. kashmiri food is a favorite of mine too, but like you being a vegetarian i have limited option in this cuisine too.
most welcome sunita and thanks again.
Hello Ma’am,
Don’t know how to thank you. This website taught me cooking when I didn’t knew much about it. You explain recipies with such simplicity that even a layman can become expert in cooking. Keep posting more delicious recepies like this. Kudos!
thanks a lot pradip ????. i am glad that the recipes have helped you to cook delicious indian veg food. making the recipes easy to follow is what i always strive for and i try to give as many details as possible. there are still some recipes that i need to work upon and am gradually doing it. thanks again and happy cooking.
Hello mam,
Whenever i m in confused state about cooking.. I always refer to your recipies.. Really good and tasty… Easy to make.. Very helpful.. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
welcome vrushali and thanks for this lovely comment. happy cooking.
Very Nice, Thank you very much.
welcome.
You have garlic as one of the ingredients, but after that it is not mentioned anywhere else. Should I add it after the onion gets sautéed, before I add in the chillies? I am a huge garlic lover, so I want to add it.
yes you can add garlic after the onions gets sautéed. in the pics, i have added garlic along with the green chilies and then sautéed both together. thanks for letting me know. i will update in the palak sabzi recipe post.
Appreciate your quick response. It came out very well..first time making aloo palak. Your site is my bible when it comes to vegetarian cooking, as I have NEVER had any of your dishes go wrong… God Bless
thank you mani. happy cooking and wish you all the best.
I have aroung 15 to 17 guests can u tell me the quantity of potatoes and palak to be used
rose, you can use 15 to 17 medium sized potatoes and 1 to 1.25 kg spinach.
I made this tonight as a last-minute side dish–it ended up being even tastier than the main dish I spent an hour preparing. Thank you for your recipes, they’re always delicious.
Welcome Fioncella. Nice to know that you liked this aloo palak sabzi. Its tasty as well as healthy side dish.
Hello Dassana,
Thank you so much as I plan my all meals from your website.
a)If this dish is without onion will it work ?
Thanks,you really give-in your best learn a lot from you.
Warm Regards
megha, thats nice to know megha. yes you can skip onions but then add a pinch of hing (asafoetida) when you add green chilies, just to mimic the flavors of onions.
Delicious! Thank you so much for your easy to follow and tasty recipes!
Welcome Monisha
First time for me to see aloo palak sabzi with coconuts – and it turned delicious! So simple and yet elegant. Could I ask you whether this is a Gujarati recipe?
thanks for the feedback. i have no idea if this is a gujarati recipe. this is how i prepare aloo palak sabzi at home.
love your simple yet decadent and different recipes, I added some kale too and it worked great
Thanks Sayanti for sharing your positive feedback.
U r my favourite author. Whenever I search recipes ur recipes ll pop out first.
Thanks Subha for your kind words.
Maybe an odd combination ???? I had it with dosai and it tastes really good ????
thanks swetha. i don’t think its an odd combination. in fact its a delicious combination. we also have chana masala, kadala, aloo methi and some more dry veggie dishes with dosa.
It looks gorgeous! Can’t wait to try it (:
thanks shani.