As it is, spinach is a good source of iron and so many other vitamins. So I would like to ask, how do you add it to your meal for plain nutritive reasons? Alu palak or Palak Gosht are the only recipies I know of, and that too, after so much of bhoonification, I amafraid,loses the nutritive value. I have heard of Palak paneer though, never tried, but I guess after our desi cooking method, the nutritive value of spinach will end up being quite banal, wont it?
So please share any recipes where you add spinach to the meal for the nutritive value. Also, does anyone have spinach as raw? Like in Green smoothie? I am well aware green smoothie is much in usage for skin and nutritions but I have a little reservation about ra intake of spinach whats your take on it, please?
I love all the dishes mentioned above with spinach. I find eating baby spinach in a salad instead of lettuce is a good way to get the nutrients from it and avoid cooking them out. It tastes good too.
how much do u have to bhoon it for it to lose nutrition value? Last night I lightly sauteed soem baby spinach as part of tarka for daal..i don't over do it, just so that it's all soft...
Sara when we are cooking a desi salan we have to bhoonofy it or the “taste” doesnt develope, as they say. Aint saying it from the personal experience though since I guess I cooked alu palak only once and yes not that much but I did bhonofy the palak anyway, to let the taste steep in.
I will try this tarkofy dal ith spinach though, sounds tempting to me :k:
so no one can suggest a recipe with minimum cooking and therefore healthy content of spinach in it
Toss it in salads. You can pretty much add it any salad. Try tossing it with toasted walnuts, any citrus fruit, some
Type of seed with raspberry vinaigrette . The thing salads is you just have to creative. You can make your own vinaigrette if you want control fat content and ingredients.
I put spinach in my green smoothies, and you can't really taste the spinach at all, i've been drinking green smoothies for about 6 months, and not had any problems...
The nutrients are not virus , germs , or bacteria , bhonofication does not kill the nutrients in any thing it is such a desi myth that bhonofication is bad for your nutrients. Yes it does reduce the nutritional value but you can supplement nutritional value of your food by adding fruit or vegetable salads to your meal or adding some raw fruits and vegetable to your meal plan.
In a blender, I toss in a bit of juice, a handful of blueberries, a handful of spinach, some water to thin it out......and blend. I don't even measure.
Put it in a salad, stir-fry, sandwiches, salan of course, stuffed pastries, etc.
thankyou everyone for your help. I have got so many ideas with your posts. I liked the idea of daal tarka as sara mentioned. thanks to mirch for clarifying the myth of bhonification. That was helpful. I have been impressed with the idea of green smoothies since long RV, and I hope you remember I exchanged pms with you about it. The problem however being we dont have blueberries available here, and apple being as banal in taste as it is, i guess the only fruit i am left with is pineapple.
Steam or sauté is the best way. This is one situation that cooking may be better because of the oxalic acid in raw spinach that can do a number on you, google it if you want to find out more.
As far as cooking it goes, the loss of nutrients can be quite significant. The temperature and duration being the key factors in nutrient deterioration and loss. You can lose 3/4 of folate by typical desi stovetop cooking.
Well this is just what I tried to hint at. How could this much of desi cooking which involves a handsome quantity of oil too, for bhonification, not affect the nutritive value. I guess I am clearer about the issue now. Spinach should be blanched as we do usually but shouldnt be cooked and bhonofied much once it is added to the already nearly done salan. I think I am going to add blanched spinach into chicken already and cook and might let it steam for a lil while to let the tastes adjust.
I love spinach. I add it to omelettes (sorry cannot spell today). I also add it to quiches, salads and also use it as a wilted salad/veg dish to go with things like fishcakes.
I chop up three cloves of garlic, add to a little bit of oil, add the zest of half a lemon and the juice of a full lemon, bit of salt and a packet of fresh spinach. Put the lid on the pain and it wilts down quite quickly. Also goes well with chicken kiev-prehaps it's the garlic?
whats your take on it, please?