Palak kofta recipe without paneer or cream, that is entirely plant-based and healthy! In this low-calorie palak kofta curry, koftas are made in the oven and soaked in a delicious gravy. The spinach kofta as well as the curry are made with simple everyday ingredients, yet better than the ones you get at Indian restaurants.
Recipe Video
Why You’ll Love This Palak Kofta Recipe
This palak kofta curry is yet another of my ‘creamy’ curries without cream, like chicken kofta curry, authentic chana masala, and 5-ingredient easy chicken curry.
The koftas are baked (not fried) and soaked in an easy gravy made with onions, tomatoes and a few spices you might already have in your kitchen.
I would say the secret ingredient in this recipe is cashews. They are added to the koftas for a crunchy (in an otherwise smooth) texture, as in the curried Brussels sprouts recipe.
Cashews are also used in the gravy blended as a paste to give you a creamy curry. (This hack is similar to the one I used in aloo chana masala recipe, in which I had used chickpea puree.)
Baking usually sucks the moisture out of koftas. This recipe will teach you the tricks to take advantage of it to make soft palak koftas that soak up the delicious gravy.
Without further ado, let’s get to the recipe:
Ingredients
(You can find the exact measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this page.)
- Palak (spinach): Choose fresh green ones with stems intact.
- Nuts: You’ll need cashews for both koftas and gravy. You can also use blanched almonds instead.
- Dried fenugreek leaves: Also called Kasuri methi, they are used widely in Indian dishes like paneer and kofta curries, spicy vegetarian gravies like vegetable kadai, parathas, vegetables like tandoori cauliflower and more. These dried leaves of Fenugreek plant are popular for their bitter yet addictively aromatic flavor. Besides adding a unique taste and flavor to the dish, Kasuri Methi also has many health benefits.
- Besan: This is gram flour, you can also use chickpea flour, which is similar.
- The rest of the ingredients are regular spices and vegetables.
How To Make Palak Kofta Curry: Step by step
Make Palak Puree
Heat oil in a pot and saute chopped green chilies, garlic and ginger.
Add roughly chopped palak. You can also add tender stems. Stir until it wilts.
Transfer the contents to a strainer. Squeeze the palak to remove the moisture.
Reserve the water from the palak. You can add it later when you make the gravy.
Cool the palak mixture and add to a blender jar.
Blend until smooth.
Make Palak Kofta Mixture
Finely chop cashews and onions. Saute in a pan with oil until they are browned.
Remove the cashews and onions and keep aside. Add besan to the same pan and stir on low flame until you get a nutty aroma.
Take the palak puree in a bowl. Add chopped coriander leaves, roasted besan, onions and cashews, salt, cumin, garam masala, peanut oil and kasuri methi.
Boil a large potato, peel and mash. Add to the palak kofta mixture.
Bake Palak Koftas
Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F. Scoop out small balls of the palak mixture onto a baking sheet or pan. You can use a small spoon or melon baller.
Spray oil and bake. After 15 minutes, flip the koftas and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Make Palak Kofta Curry
Blend roughly chopped onions, ginger and garlic into a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a pot. Saute the onion paste until the raw smell disappears.
Puree tomatoes and add. Stir until the mixture becomes thick.
Add chili powder, coriander powder, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, salt and pepper.
If you made the easy Indian curry paste, you can blend 1½ cups of the curry paste and use it. In that case, skip the above 4 steps. Add the reserved water from cooked palak. Add about ½ cup of water.
Soak 10 cashews in ¼ cup of hot water for about 10 minutes. Blend into a smooth and creamy paste. Add it to the gravy.
Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the curry reaches the desired consistency. Gently add the baked koftas. Sprinkle kasuri methi and coriander leaves. Remove from heat and serve with roti/parathas.
Recipe Tips
- Adding koftas: Do not let the palak koftas soak in the curry for too long. The koftas may become too soft and break. Add the koftas to the curry about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- Lemon juice: Optionally, squeeze 2 teaspoons of lemon juice before serving.
- Consistency of koftas: The palak kofta mixture might seem a bit sticky while you scoop it out onto the baking tray. No worries. Since the oven tends to cook the koftas using the moisture and oil in them, they will turn out perfectly soft and intact.
- Consistency of curry: The curry tends to thicken with time since the koftas will absorb the gravy. So it’s okay if the curry is a bit runny when you add the koftas.
Health benefits of palak
Given its health benefits such as 15 different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and rated as one of the most protein-rich vegetables, spinach can help improve your overall health and fitness levels, including heart, bone, muscle, blood, hair, skin, eye and gut health. In short, it is a superfood loaded with goodness for every part of your body!
Love spinach? Try this palak dal recipe, a sumptuous curry to eat with rice or roti. Or make spinach almond pesto to serve with pasta.
Printable Curry Paste Recipe
Grab a printable copy of the curry paste that helps home cooks like you cook different curries in 30 minutes or less:
Healthy Palak Kofta Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 2½ tablespoons peanut oil (divided)
- 3 green chilies
- 1½ inch piece of ginger (divided)
- 7 cloves garlic (divided)
- 340 grams/12 ounces Palak (spinach)
- 20 cashews (divided)
- 3 onions (divided)
- ½ cup besan/chickpea flour
- 1½ teaspoon salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (divided)
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala (divided)
- 1 large potato
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves (divided)
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (divided)
- 2 tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
STEP BY STEP IMAGES
Scroll back to find detailed recipe photos!
Instructions
Make palak puree
- Heat ½ teaspoon of peanut oil in a pot. Saute 3 chopped green chilies, 4 garlic cloves and a 1-inch piece of ginger.
- Add 340 grams of roughly chopped palak. You can also add tender stems. Stir until it wilts.
- Transfer the contents to a strainer. Squeeze the palak to remove the water. Reserve the water to use later in the gravy.
- Cool the palak mixture and blend until smooth.
Make palak kofta mixture
- Finely chop 10 cashews and an onion. Heat 1 teaspoon of peanut oil in a pan and roast them. Once the cashews and onions are browned, remove them from the pan.
- Add ½ cup of besan to the same pan and roast on low flame until you get a nutty aroma.
- Take the palak puree in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, ½ teaspoon kasuri methi, roasted besan, onions and cashews.
- Boil a large potato, peel and mash. Add to the palak kofta mixture and mix well.
Bake palak koftas
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F. Scoop out lime-sized balls of the palak mixture onto a baking sheet or pan. You can use a small spoon or melon baller.
- Spray oil or cooking spray. Place the sheet pan in the middle rack of the oven and bake.
- After 15 minutes, flip the koftas and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Make palak kofta curry
- Roughly chop the remaining 2 onions, ½-inch ginger and 3 garlic cloves. Blend them into a smooth paste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot. Saute the onion paste until the raw smell disappears.
- Puree 2 tomatoes and add. Stir until the mixture becomes thick.
- Add ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Add the reserved water from cooked palak.
- Soak 10 cashews in ¼ cup of hot water for about 10 minutes. Blend into a smooth and creamy paste. Add it to the gravy. Add ½ cup of water.
- Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the curry reaches the desired consistency.
- Gently drop the baked koftas into the curry. Sprinkle kasuri methi and coriander leaves. Remove from heat and serve with roti/parathas.
Video
Notes
- Adding koftas: Do not let the palak koftas soak in the curry for too long. The koftas may become too soft and break. Add the koftas to the curry about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- Lemon juice: Optionally, squeeze some lemon juice before serving.
- Consistency of koftas: The palak mixture might seem a bit sticky while scooping out onto the baking tray. No worries. Since the oven tends to cook the koftas using the moisture and oil in them, they will turn out perfectly soft and intact.
- Consistency of curry: The curry tends to thicken with time since the koftas will absorb the gravy. So it’s okay if the curry seems to be a bit runny when you add the koftas.
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