Palak Mushroom Recipe : Healthy Spinach Mushroom Curry!

Palak Mushroom

• Author: Chandni Agrawal
• Recipe Category: Punjabi Dish
• Cuisine: Indian

Description: The gravy of this restaurant style Palak Mushroom Recipe can be made with any ingredients of your choice. Make this healthy and tasty curry at home quickly.

Ingredients for Palak Mushroom Recipe:

The fresh Spinach leaves and the Mushrooms are the two main ingredients for this dish. The rest of the ingredients are required to prepare the tomato-onion gravy which is the base of this Palak Mushroom Recipe.

For Palak (Spinach) Puree:

• Palak/Spinach (roughly chopped) – 5 cups (250 grams)
• Ginger (roughly chopped) – ½ inch
• Garlic (roughly chopped) – 2 cloves
• Green Chilli (chopped) – 1 piece

Note: You can also grind chopped tomato or small chunks of coconut in making of the spinach puree.

For Curry:

• Mushrooms (chopped) – 2 cups (250 grams)
• Onion (finely chopped) – ½ cup (1 unit)
• Tomato (finely chopped) – ½ cup (1 unit)
• Dry Fenugreek leaves/Kasuri Methi (crushed) – 1 tsp.
• Cream – 3 tbsp.
• Ginger/Adrak (finely chopped) – 1 tsp. ( ½ inch ginger)
• Garlic/Lahsun (finely chopped) – 1 tsp. (2 to 3 garlic cloves)
• Black Elaichi (black cardamom) – 1 piece
• Green Elaichi (green cardamom) – 2 pieces
• Oil – 2 tbsp. (use saffola oil)
• Cloves (lavang) – 4 piece
• Garam Masala – ¼ tsp.
• Dalchini (cinnamon) – 1 inch
• Tej Patta (bay leaf) – 1 leaf
• Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch) – ½ tsp.
• Jeera (cumin seeds) – ½ tsp.
• Turmeric Powder (Haldi) – ¼ tsp.
• Salt – As required
• Water – 7 cups

Note: To make the Palak Mushroom curry, you would need 2/3 or ¾ of water. The rest of the cups of water are used to clean the Palak and boil the Palak.  You can use 2 tsp. of milk instead of cream.

Steps for Palak Mushroom Recipe:

It is very easy to follow the Palak Mushroom Recipe and make the curry at home. It is divided into two main procedure where first you have to make the spinach puree. Then you have to make the mushroom Palak curry with chopped veggies, whole spices and other Indian condiments.

Instructions for Palak Puree:

1. Clean Palak:

• Take Palak leaves (spinach) and remove the spinach stalk.
• Transfer the spinach leaves in a colander and wash them properly.
• Rinse well these spinach leaves under the running water.
• Roughly chop these washed Palak leaves and keep them aside in a bowl.

2. Boil Palak:

• Now, take another medium sized bowl and pour 3 cups water in it.
• Keep this water to boil in a pan or in a microwave.
• Now, sprinkle ¼ tsp. salt in this hot water and stir it well.
• Add chopped Palak leaves in the hot water and close the lid for 3 minutes.
• Now, remove the water and strain the Palak.

3. Blanch Palak:

• Take 3 cups of cold water in a bowl and add some ice cubes in the water.
• Transfer the boiled or steamed Palak immediately in this cold water.
• Keep the roughly chopped spinach leaves immersed in cold water with ice cubes for 3 minutes.
• Strain the Palak by removing the cold water.

4. Palak Puree:

• Take a Mixer Grinder.
• Add the chopped green chilli, ½ inch chopped ginger, 2 cloves of chopped garlic and Palak leaves in this jar.
• Grind it properly to make smooth Palak puree without adding water.
• Once you have blended it to the smooth puree, take it out to a small bowl. Keep this Palak puree (spinach puree) aside.

Note: You would require 250 grams of spinach if you want to have 5 cups of roughly chopped spinach. You can use electric heater as well to boil the water. Do not discard the stock, as you can use that water later.

Steps for Making Palak Mushroom Curry:

• Take a Kadai/wok and heat 2tsp oil in it.
• Add ½ tsp. Jeera, cinnamon, 2 green Elaichi, 1 black Elaichi, 1 Tej Patta and 3 cloves.
• Saute these whole spices for few seconds. Wait till they start to release aroma and become fragrant.
• Now, add finely chopped onion in the wok/Kadai and saute till it turns to golden brown colour.
• When the onions become translucent, then add chopped garlic & ginger to the Kadai and saute it.
• After the raw smell of ginger-garlic leaves, add the chopped tomatoes to the pan.
• Saute these tomatoes till becomes soft and tender.
• Saute the mixture for 3 minutes on medium flame.
• As you see oil coming out from the mixture, add 2 cups chopped mushrooms.
• Stir everything well. Let the taste and flavours of ingredients blend well with each other.
• When you are stirring the mixture, you will find some water because of mushrooms.
• Stir till all the water is dried up. Generally, takes 1 minute.
• Keep stirring until mushrooms turn golden brown from the outer edges.
• Now, add the crushed Kasuri Methi in the Kadai. Once again stir everything.
• Then, add Garam masala to the mixture.
• Also, add turmeric powder & red chilli powder too.
• Stir each of these spice powder with the ingredients evenly.
• Also, once these spices are incorporated into the mixture, then add the spinach puree.
• Now mix everything well and saute for some time.
• Add less than 1 cup of water in the Kadai. Keep the proportion of water from 2/3 cup to ¾ cup.
• Stir on a medium flame for 5 minutes.
• Simmer the curry continually and mix all the veggies with the spices.
• Add 3 tbsp. cream to the mixture in the Kadai and stir it.
• Stir well again for few seconds so that the cream is mixed.
• Season the gravy with the salt and stir for few seconds to properly mix the salt in the gravy.
• Taste the Palak mushroom curry and adjust the salt.
• Also, check for the taste and flavours of the spice powders. Add if something is missing or feel less.
• Give a gentle stir to the gravy and switch off the flame.
• Transfer the curry to the plate.

And the delicious Palak Mushroom is ready! Serve it HOT.

Note: The mushroom will release a lot of oil, but continue to saute them till they become dry. Adjust the water in the curry as per the requirement. The consistency of the gravy is dependent on personal preferences. Instead of adding crushed ginger chopped individually, you can make the ginger-garlic paste and then mix it in the mixture.

Additional Information:

• Calories: 91 calories
• Total Time: PT45M
• Serves: 4
• Date Published: 2017-01-29