Palak Soup (Spinach Soup)
Soups are our favorite starters. Palak (spinach) is one of the healthiest leafy vegetable and should be part of your regular consumption. The Palak Soup or Spinach Soup is perfect for a healthy and warm drink during winters or even while enjoying rains.
Palak and Popeye
Here’s a little trivia regarding Spinach. Popeye the Sailor has a strong liking for spinach and gains strength by eating spinach. However this is a case of a missed decimal. As the site thekitchn.com explains:
In 1870 German chemist Erich von Wolf correctly ascertained the amount of iron in spinach, but while transcribing his notes, he accidentally misplaced a decimal point: instead of recording that spinach had 3.5 milligrams of iron per 100-gram serving (as is the case), he wrote that it had 35 milligrams.
This resulted in Popeye hyping up the spinach benefits. Hype aside, spinach still has 3.5mg of iron in it which is one of the highest for any vegetable.
We Indians have perfected the art of preparing dishes with Spinach, with Palak Paneer, and Aloo Palak being common dishes in India. This is an Indian style Palak Soup using butter and onion. This recipe is very low on calories and very high on nutrition. Make sure you get the freshest Palak bunch you can find.
Palak soup
Ingredients
- Palak (Spinach leaves) – 1 bunch
- Onion – ½ chopped
- Garlic cloves – 1
- Ginger – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – ¼ teaspoons
- Black peppercorns – 2-3
- Bay leaf – 1
- Salt to taste
- Cinnamon stick – ½ inch
- Butter – 2 teaspoons
- White oil – ½ teaspoon
- Cloves – 1
- Black cardamoms – 1
- Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
- Fresh cream – 1 tablespoons
- Water – as required
Method
- Separate the thick stems from the palak leaves and rinse the leaves very well.
Raw Spinach
2. In a saucepan bring some water to a boil. Add the palak and boil for a minute.
3. Transfer this boiled palak in iced cold water and keep for 4-5 minutes.
4. Once this has cooled down, drain all water and blend in a mixer grinder to a smooth paste, like Puree.
5. Heat oil and butter in a pan on medium heat.
6. Add bay leaf, cloves, black cardamom, cinnamon, whole black peppers and cumin seeds.
7. Add the chopped onion and stir well.
8. After few minutes add chopped ginger and garlic and sauté till light golden brown.
9. Add the previously prepared palak puree and stir for a couple minutes.
10. Strain this puree mixture using a soup strainer.
11. Reheat the soup, add water and salt and bring it to boil in medium flame. Once it boils, let it simmer for 5 minutes.
12. Add lemon juice and mix well. Switch off the flame.
Serve this hot-hot soup with garnished with bread croutons and , if you like cream.
Palak Soup recipe (Spinach Soup recipe)
Palak Soup (Spinach soup)
Ingredients
- Palak Spinach leaves – 1 bunch
- Onion – ½ chopped
- Garlic cloves - 1
- Ginger – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – ¼ teaspoons
- Black peppercorns – 2-3
- Bay leaf - 1
- Salt to taste
- Cinnamon stick – ½ inch
- Butter – 2 teaspoons
- White oil – ½ teaspoon
- Cloves - 1
- Black cardamoms – 1
- Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
- Fresh cream – 1 tablespoons
- Water – as required
Instructions
- Separate the thick stems from the palak leaves and rinse the leaves very well.
- In a saucepan bring some water to a boil. Add the palak and boil for a minute.
- Transfer this boiled palak in iced cold water and keep for 4-5 minutes.
- Once this has cooled down, drain all water and blend in a mixer grinder to a smooth paste, like Puree.
- Heat oil and butter in a pan on medium heat.
- Add bay leaf, cloves, black cardamom, cinnamon, whole black peppers and cumin seeds.
- Add the chopped onion and stir well.
- After few minutes add chopped ginger and garlic and sauté till light golden brown.
- Add the previously prepared palak puree and stir for a couple minutes.
- Strain this puree mixture using a soup strainer.
- Reheat the soup, add water and salt and bring it to boil in medium flame. Once it boils, let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add lemon juice and mix well. Switch off the flame.