Palak ka kaapa – Spinach gravy from Uttarakhand, India

Sharing is caring!

Palak ka kaapa is an easy and nutritious Palak aka Spinach gravy from Uttarakhand, India. It is simple and quick and made without any onion and garlic. This is one of the typical recipes from the Indian state of Uttarakhand and goes well with Roti or hot steamed rice. 

This post may contain affiliate links· Please read our Privacy Policy for details. You can jump to the recipe, but you will miss the tips and tricks mentioned in the post

Uttarakhand – Land of the Gods

So we are back to another state and almost reached an end to the alphabetical order of Indian States. This time we are virtually visiting the State of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand formerly known as Uttaranchal is often referred to as “Devabhumi” meaning the “Land of the Gods” due to the numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state. Known for its natural environment of the Himalayas, the Bhabar and the Terai. 

The capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun and my memories of this state is eating endless lychee during my visit to the state. Natives of the state are called Garhwali or Kumaoni by their region of Origin. 

Cuisine of Uttarakhand

The primary food of Uttarakhand is vegetables with Wheat being a staple. Coarse grain with high fibre content is very common in Uttarakhand and this can be well understood due to the harsh terrain it has. Buckwheat (Kuttu), and the regional crops, Maduwa and Jhangora are most commonly used. The cuisine of the state is meticulously chosen to not only suit your taste buds but also to use the most of the resources available. A balance flavour is the key to authentic Uttarakhand Cuisine, that is mostly cooked over a slow fire and consists of lentils. 

Famous dishes of Uttarakhand

Phanu, Kafuli, Thechwani, Gahat ke Paranthe, Gahat ka Shorba, Raat, Aloo Gutuk, Dubke , Kaapa are few of the finger licking dishes from the state. Few of the mouth watering side dishes are Bhangeera ki Chutney, Mooli Thechuwa and Hara Namak. Recently I even made Kumaoni Raita and even though it is a simple cucumber raita, the taste of it was lifted by the crushed mustard and garlic. Will be sharing the recipe soon. 

The Challenge

So coming to today’s recipe, as you are aware in this group we have partners assigned and we exchanged secret ingredients in this challenge. My partner this month was Narmada who blogs at Nams Corner. She has a wonderful collection of different types of recipes. I am in love with her, Homemade Bourbon biscuits , Butter Murukku and Beetroot Rice. Hopefully I try them soon.

Secret Ingredients

So coming to the secret ingredients, she gave me greens and ghee and I gave her Lentils and Ginger and she made HorseGram Paratha. So with my secret ingredients I decided to make this Palak ka Kappa a healthy and nutritious dish from Uttarakhand. While searching for recipes from net, I landed up on one of my fellow blogger friend blog’s, Ribbons to Pasta. Just hop on to her blog and you will be amazed by her wonderful creations and fusions. 

Recipe of Palak ka Kaapa

So I tweaked her recipe a bit. Instead of boiling palak first, I directly added the roughly chopped palak in the tadka.  Also, I do not like to chop any of greens must as they lose nutrients. It is best to consume them as is or with minimal chopping and cooking. Reset the recipe is quite simple. A simple tadka with spices does the magic. To balance the bitter taste of Spinach curd is added. It also results in the gravy being creamy and smooth. 

I enjoyed this with steamed rice. It can be equally enjoyed with some hot phulkas. Just a warning , that this is not a gravy which might suit all, as it is just made using spinach. But once you acquire the taste you will love it and mainly due to its high nutrient content as spinach is loaded with high contents of Iron, folic acid and calcium. A good source of proteins for vegetarians or vegans.

So here goes the recipe of Palak ka kaapa – Spinach gravy from Uttarakhand

Ingredients

• 250 grams Spinach
• 75 grams about ¼ Cup Curd beaten to a smooth paste.
• 1 tablespoon Ghee
• A pinch of Asafoetida (**for Gluten free, Please see notes)
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• Red chilli powder to taste
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• Salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon Rice powder made to fine paste with 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

1. Clean and wash the Spinach.
2. Drain and Roughly chop it.
3. Heat ghee in a wok or a deep pan. Add asafoetida
4. Add cumin seeds once the ghee is hot.
5. Let it crackle. Now add the red chilli powder , turmeric and quickly give it a stir. 
6. Careful not to burn the masala’s.
7. Now add the chopped Spinach and salt. Go easy on salt as greens take less salt.
8. Let this cook on medium for 3-4 minutes stirring in between.
9. The Spinach should reduce to almost half.
10. Now add in the curd and rice paste.
11. Give everything a mix and let it further cook for 3–4 minutes. 
12. Serve with Roti or Rice.

Notes

• 1 Cup = 235 ml, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
• Asafoetida (Hing) powder available in shops contains wheat and is not gluten free. Gluten intolerant people can either skip completely or opt for Gluten Free Asafoetida (Hing)

Few More Regional recipes

• Baked Shana Jhieg | Meghalaya Starter/ Snack
• Sana Thongba | Manipuri Paneer curry (No onion, No Garlic)
• Chakki ki Sabji |Ate ki Sabji (Tangy and Spicy Gravy with whole wheat flour dumplings)
• Idli Podi
• Akki Roti
• Kashmiri Dum Aloo (No Onion, No Garlic)
• Authentic Pakodi/Pakoda Kadhi
• Mizoram’s Panch Phoran Tarkari
• No Oil Tomato Chutney from Nagaland
• Odia’s Sapuri khatta | Pineapple Sweet & Sour Chutney
• Dal Makhani | Indian Style Creamy Black Lentils
• Moong Dal Pakoda (Fritters)
• Thukpa | Vegetable Noodle Soup
• Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu | Coimbatore Style Vegan Tomato Curry
• Vellulli Karam podi (Spicy Garlic & Red Chilly Powder)
• Tripura Tomato Chutney – Mosdeng Serma
• Bajre ki Tikki

Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate the recipe. Share your pics and tag us.

Subscribe to my email list to get the new recipes straight into your mailbox.

Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

Sharing is caring!