Makai Palak - Spinach and Corn Curry

Aren’t we all looking for more ways to get leafy greens into our meals?

As it turns out, there’s always room for more spinach in our daily diet. Add a handful of sweet corn to a spinach curry, and you have a flavor-filled and colorful Makai Palak (palak is spinach and makai is corn), a truly delicious Indian preparation, worth bringing to your meals.

Indian Palak (Spinach) Curry

While this recipe is made with the addition of sweet corn to the palak gravy, feel free to come up with your own ways to diversify this dish. Add cubes of cottage cheese (paneer) to create the popular Palak Paneer. Or try adding mushrooms or potatoes to add new flavor options. Craft a meat version with diced chicken.

Like the white-gravied Cashew Chicken, this green spinach curry offers an alternative to the wide variety of tomato-based red curries that we see most often in Indian food. Add to that, the innumerable benefits of anti-oxidant-rich spinach loaded with heart-healthy vitamins, minerals, fiber, and iron, and the Makai Palak recipe is a keeper.

Enjoy this wholesome and appetizing addition to your daily dose of green.

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Makai Palak - Spinach and Corn Curry

Yield: 4-6

Add a handful of sweet corn to a spinach curry, and you have a flavor-filled and colorful Makai Palak (palak is spinach and makai is corn), a truly delicious Indian preparation, worth bringing to your meals.

Ingredients

Grind or Blend

• 10 oz frozen spinach
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• ⅓ cup cashew, almond, or peanuts, your choice
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon fresh chili pepper, optional, for a spicy kick

For the Curry

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ⅓ cup tomato puree or sauce
• 2 cups sweet corn
• 2 teaspoons Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek), only if you keep this on hand
• 1 tbsp cream, butter or ghee leave this out for a vegan version

Instructions

1. In a blender or food processor, make a smooth paste of spinach, chopped onion, garlic cloves, and green chili pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and the spinach mix in a pan and start cooking on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the dry spices, salt, and sugar. Next, add the tomato sauce.
4. Cook for 10-15 minutes, and make sure to cover the pan to prevent spattering. Stir intermittently and add water only if required for cooking, 1/4 cup at a time.
5. Right before serving, add the sweet corn, kasoori methi (if using), and your choice of cream, butter, or ghee. Heat through for 3-4 minutes.
6. Serve warm with crusty bread, or Indian flatbread like Naan, or fragrant Basmati rice.

Notes

1. In addition to sweet corn, this curry works well with chicken, paneer, potatoes, tofu cubes, or sliced mushroom.
2. In the US, frozen sweet corn heats up well when added at the end of the cooking process. If you use a different longer-cooking variety of corn, add it sooner to the curry so it cooks through.

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