Palak Ka Kappa

Information

Palak ka Kappa is very popular tasty curry from Kumaon region. I have never met an kumaoni who forgets this recipe while mentioning his favorite local cuisine. This is a nutritious recipe as it is made of spinach thus rich in iron. Palak kappa also goes well with most of the kumaoni dals/lentils as an accompainement. It is accompanied with ras-bhaat, dubke,chudkani and the list goes on. Traditionally palak kappa is made in iron wok and this enhances the green color and make it more dark. As I do not have a pure iron wok, I have cooked in steel pan and thus you might feel a difference in color.

Cooking Time:30 Mins
Serves : 2-3 Persons
Difficulty level : easy
Cuisine : North Indian, Kumaoni

Ingredients:-

1. Chopped Spinach
2. 2 tbsps oil
3. 1 tsps cumin seeds
4. 1/4 tsps fenugreek seeds
5. 2 dried red chillies
6. 2 tbsps gram flour
7. 1 tsps chili powder
8. salt to taste
9. 1/2 tsps turmeric powder
10. 1 medium onion thinly sliced
11. water as needed

Cooking Steps with Pictures

1. In a large pan heat oil and add dried red chillies. Once the red chillies are fried, add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. As the cumin seeds splutter add onions. Let the onions cook until they turn translucent in color.

2. Now add gram flour to the pan and let the gram flour roast for a minute or so, until the raw taste goes away. Now pour 1/4th cup of water and let it come to a boil. Add chopped spinach and mix in the gram flour mixture.

3. Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to this. While cooking spinach it is important to keep in mind that spinach reduces a lot from the initial amount, so you be careful with the amount of salt. Once the spinach is well coated and reduced around 1/4 cup of water. Now on low to medium flame let this cook for 15- 20 minutes.

The gravy will thicken and then turn off the heat. This can be served hot with rice or as a accompaniment to some kumaoni lentil recipe like ras-bhaat, dubke..