Garlicky Spinach Peas Fenugreek Curry

Garlicky Spinach Peas Fenugreek Curry is a vegan palak recipe. It's an easy & simple spinach based Asian side dish made with peas & fenugreek leaves. This garlic-flavored curry is one of the easiest vegetarian spinach recipes ever that you can make under 30 minutes! A healthy comfort meal that has a restaurant/Dhaba feel to it and is an ideal dish to be served with any Indian flatbread.

Vegan and vegetarian spinach recipes 

I always have a bag of spinach in my weekly grocery cart! I love eating spinach and am always adding it to different recipes. I am either making Palak Paneer or Potato Dosa every other week because we both love these dishes! Spinach or palak (in Hindi) is a great source of iron, especially for vegetarians/vegans like us. This leafy vegetable is rich in water and fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and a wide variety of phytonutrients.

There are many different ways to incorporate spinach into your meal plan and enjoy its variety of nutritional benefits especially if you are following a vegan diet. You can add it to smoothies, savory batter, add it to rice-based dishes, in pasta, salads, etc. The options are endless. They blend in any dish effortlessly. You can add them in chopped form, pureed form, cook them or eat them raw! They are that versatile!

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Making this palak curry is one way to serve them. I had wanted to recreate this Dhaba style dish for some time now. I had tasted this dish while we were on a road trip to Vaishnav Devi. It is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus located in the north of India and it's situated in the mountains. The only way to reach the temple town is by road, and there are some amazing Dhabas en-route that serve the best freshly prepared North Indian food. Lasooni Palak with naan is one such delicious combo that you must order if you ever visit a Dhaba.

BTW, Dhabas are strategically located on highways as they serve as truck stops, serve local cuisine, are cost-effective, and most are open 24 hours! The flavors and the taste of the dishes served here are more earthy as it's cooked in an outdoor oven and fat is liberally used. Dhaba’s are world-famous for dishing out some of the most mouth-watering, lip-smacking, finger-licking good Indian dishes. You must dine here once just for the experience!

Why make this curry

This bowl of Lasooni Methi Matar Palak prepared Dhaba style is what comfort food is all about.

• It's vegan, and gluten-free.
• No cream or yogurt required to give it a smooth texture. Blanched spinach does the job well.
• It can be made under 30 minutes.
• Authentic Indian flavors.
• Very healthy and delicious.

Ingredients needed to make this Asian side dish

Vegetarian spinach recipes like these are ideal for day to day lunch or dinner. This is a great recipe to include in your weekly rotation because of the simplicity of making this palak sabzi and the taste. Again, this recipe can be made using basic pantry staples. 

• Greens - I have used spinach/palak and fenugreek leaves/methi. They are a great combo and help in making this gravy base extremely flavorful. I have used frozen fenugreek leaves and fresh spinach leaves here. Fenugreek leaves have a powerful, aromatic, and bittersweet flavor.
• Green peas - I love adding green peas or Matar (in Hindi) in any gravy recipe. They are low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium. They also are a good source of Protein and Vitamins. Adding them to dishes like these bring a certain mild sweetness to the dish which helps in balancing the flavors.
• Garlic - Lasoon (in Hindi) or garlic gives the dish its pungent flavor. Adding garlic to our food does not only bring in the flavor, but this healthy bulb is also packed with abundant antifungal and antibacterial properties. Read the notes to see how to work with garlic. 
• Chickpea flour or besan helps to thicken the gravy without having to add any cream.
• Almonds give the masala a nutty flavor and density. 
• Onion, ginger, and chilies are basic ingredients needed to make this dish palatable.
• Spices like turmeric, cumin (seeds and ground), sesame seeds, and garam masala give this dish an authentic Indian flavor.

Steps to make this Palak recipe

Just the coming together of green peas, spinach, methi, and garlic in this Asian side dish makes it the perfect food pairing.

1. The first step is to blanch the spinach, and this is how to do it. Boil water in a pan (no salt to be added), add spinach leaves to the pan along with sugar, and boil it for 2 minutes.
2. Immediately transfer the boiled leaves to an ice bath (a bowl of ice water) and let it rest for another 2 - 3 minutes. 
3. Remove the leaves carefully by squeezing out the excess water from it. Roughly chop half of it and keep it aside for now. Transfer the remaining half into a blender along with little water. Blitz this to a thick puree consistency. Keep this puree aside for now.
4. The next step is to prepare the masala base. In a blender, add garlic, ginger, green chilies, and almonds. Make a coarse paste.
5. Heat oil in a pan and fry cumin seeds for 30-45 seconds. Then add the ground masala paste to the pan and fry it for another 2 minutes.
6. Next, add the chopped onions and saute till they turn translucent. Then add freshly crushed coriander seeds and besan (chickpea flour) and mix it well. 
7. Then add the green peas to the pan. Continue to saute for 2-3 minutes till the peas are cooked.
8. Then add chopped fenugreek leaves along with the chopped spinach and mix. Cook this for another 5 minutes.
9. Then add turmeric powder, and blanched spinach puree. Mix it all well together. Cook it on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Add water and salt, mix and continue to cook on high flame for another 2 minutes. Lastly, add garam masala and give it a quick mix. Take it off the flame. 

Serving Suggestions

Before serving, for more garlic flavor and aroma, prepare a second tadka to pour over this Garlicky Peas Spinach Fenugreek Curry. Heat oil in a tadka pan and fry cumin seeds, dried red chilies, garlic cloves, and white sesame seeds for 45 seconds. Then pour this tadka over the prepared curry. This makes it an extremely flavorful Asian side dish. You can serve this Dhaba style Palak recipe with any Indian flatbread and/or with steamed rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice. 

Tips to make this vegetarian spinach recipe

Blanching is an important step in this recipe because it helps retain the deep green color plus it gives the spinach puree a nice creamy texture. Then the cold water helps bring down the temperature of spinach instantly and prevents it from browning due to overcooking. Adding sugar while blanching also helps retain the green color. You can make this dish with any greens available to you. You can also skip adding fenugreek leaves and make it only with spinach. Kasoori methi can also be used instead of fresh methi. Add ½ cup of kasoori methi. 

Add boiled potatoes, tofu or paneer to this curry to make it even more flavorful.  You can limit the number of garlic pods as per your preference. When making the masala paste, you can swap almonds with cashews, walnuts, pecans, or even peanuts. Instead of adding crushed coriander seeds, you can also add coriander powder. Adding besan while cooking the curry will make the gravy thick and creamy plus help retain the water.

You can add cream as well. Do not skip the second tadka. That is what gives this Asian side dish an authentic Dhaba feel. Roast the garlic until it turns golden and crisp. Tip for those who need it - Rub garlicky hands with a stainless-steel object to remove the odor. Eat parsley, mint, or mustard to freshen your breath after eating garlic. This dish stays well in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze it as well. 

Some vegetarian spinach recipes

• Keerai Kootu
• Spinach Peanut Chutney
• Spinach Lentil Chilla
• Cilantro Spinach Rice
• Peas Spinach Pastry Puffs
• Green Mango Spinach Yogurt Smoothie

If you’ve tried this Garlicky Peas Spinach Fenugreek Curry or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how it went by commenting below, I love hearing from you!

Garlicky Peas Spinach Fenugreek Curry

This vegan palak recipe is an easy & simple spinach based Asian side dish made with peas & fenugreek leaves. This garlic-flavored curry is one of the easiest vegetarian spinach recipes ever that you can make under 30 minutes! A healthy comfort meal that has a restaurant/Dhaba feel to it and is an ideal dish to be served with any Indian flatbread.

4.52 from 25 votes

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Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 257.9kcal

Author: Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

skillet

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

To blanch the spinach

• ▢ 16 oz spinach
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ water as required
• ▢ ice cubes as required

To prepare the masala base

• ▢ 10 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 inch ginger
• ▢ 5 green chilies
• ▢ ¼ cup almonds

To prepare the curry

• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ ½ tablespoon coriander powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
• ▢ 2 cups green peas
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoon garam masala

For the second tadka

• ▢ 1 teaspoon oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢ 2 dried red chilies
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

To blanch the spinach

• Boil water in a pan (no salt to be added), add spinach leaves to the pan along with sugar, and boil it for 2 minutes.
• Immediately transfer the boiled leaves to an ice bath (a bowl of ice water) and let it rest for another 2 - 3 minutes.
• Remove half of the leaves carefully by squeezing out the excess water from it. Roughly chop them and keep it aside for now.
• Transfer the remaining half into a blender just squeezing them a bit. Blitz this to a thick puree consistency. The water helps in making the puree. Add more if needed. Keep it aside for now.

To prepare the masala base

• In a blender, add garlic, ginger, green chilies, and almonds.
• Make a coarse paste by adding ¼ cup of water.

To prepare the curry

• Heat oil in a pan and fry cumin seeds for 30-45 seconds. Then add the ground masala paste to the pan and fry it for another 2-3 minutes.
• Next, add the chopped onions and saute till they turn translucent. Then add coriander powder and besan (chickpea flour), mix and cook it for 2 minutes.
• Then add the green peas to the pan. Continue to saute for 2-3 minutes till the peas are cooked.
• Then add the chopped spinach and mix. Cook this for another 5 minutes.
• Then add turmeric powder, and blanched spinach puree along with water and salt, mix and continue to cook on high flame for another 4-5 minutes.
• Lastly, add garam masala and give it a quick mix. Take it off the flame.

For th second tadka

• Heat oil/ghee in a tadka pan and fry cumin seeds, dried red chilies, garlic cloves, and white sesame seeds for 45 seconds.
• Then pour this tadka over the prepared curry.
• You can serve this Dhaba style Palak recipe with any Indian flatbread and/or with steamed rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice.

Notes

Blanching is an important step in this recipe because it helps retain the deep green color plus it gives the spinach puree a nice creamy texture. Then the cold water helps bring down the temperature of spinach instantly and prevents it from browning due to overcooking.

Adding sugar while blanching also helps retain the green color. You can make this dish with any greens available to you. You can also skip adding fenugreek leaves and make it only with spinach.

Add boiled potatoes, tofu or paneer to this curry to make it even more flavorful.  You can limit the number of garlic pods as per your preference. When making the masala paste, you can swap almonds with cashews, walnuts, pecans, or even peanuts.

Instead of adding crushed coriander seeds, you can also add coriander powder. Adding besan while cooking the curry will make the gravy thick and creamy plus help retain the water.

You can add cream as well. Do not skip the second tadka. That is what gives this Asian side dish an authentic Dhaba feel. Roast the garlic until it turns golden and crisp.

Tip for those who need it - Rub garlicky hands with a stainless-steel object to remove the odor. Eat parsley, mint, or mustard to freshen your breath after eating garlic.

This dish stays well in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze it as well. 

Nutrition

Calories: 257.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.43g | Protein: 13.36g | Fat: 9.16g | Saturated Fat: 0.75g | Sodium: 133.24mg | Potassium: 676.87mg | Fiber: 9.43g | Sugar: 8.06g | Vitamin A: 5937.51IU | Vitamin C: 53.2mg | Calcium: 144.12mg | Iron: 6.9mg

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