Palak Raita or Spinach Raita is a simple and easy recipe of lightly flavored Spinach Yogurt Dip that is made with curd (yogurt), spinach, spices, herbs and seasonings. It is refreshing, healthy and pairs well with rice based dishes like pulao (pilaf) or biryani.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup spinach ((palak) - chopped and tightly packed)
  • ½ teaspoon ginger (- finely chopped)
  • ¼ teaspoon carom seeds ((ajwain))
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder
  • 1 pinch garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon saunf powder ((fennel powder), optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (- or as required, optional)
  • 4 to 5 mint leaves
  • 1 cup curd ((or yogurt))
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons oil (- any neutral tasting oil)
  • rock salt ((edible and food grade) or pink salt or regular white salt, as required)

Method

Sautéing Palak

  1. In a bowl, whisk the curd or yogurt and set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add the carom seeds and fry for few seconds.
  3. Add the chopped ginger and fry for some seconds until the raw aroma of ginger dissipates.
  4. Add the finely chopped spinach.
  5. Add all the ground spice powders one by one along with salt.
  6. Sauté until the spinach stops releasing water and wilts.
  7. Lastly add the mint and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

Making Palak Raita

  1. Add this mixture to the whisked curd or yogurt.
  2. Sprinkle some pepper and stir to mix very well.
  3. You can refrigerate the raita for a couple of hours before serving.
  4. Serve Palak Raita as side accompaniments with a dal rice or roti sabzi or biryani or pulao. Raita goes very well with rice based dishes.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.