Mike Wolfberg's Recipe for Palak Raita - Spinach-Yogurt
Salad
This is one of a dozen recipes developed by Mike for a Concord/Carlisle
Massachusetts Newcomers Gourmet Group dinner which
took place on 1-Mar-75.
THIS DISH SHOULD BE PREPARED
THE DAY OF THE DINNER
(Approximate preparation time: 30 minutes)
- one 10-oz. bag of fresh washed spinach
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp. ghee
- 1 tsp. black mustard seeds
- 2 c. plain yogurt
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Wash (if necessary) and clean the spinach, trimming
away the tough stems and other bad-looking parts. Chop the spinach so the
pieces are no bigger than about 1" square. Steam the spinach for 5
minutes, so that it cooks without being submerged in water. (You can use a
colander or sieve in a large pot.) While the spinach is steaming, continue
making further preparations.
- Place the ground cumin in an ungreased frying pan over
very low heat. Shaking the pan, lightly roast the cumin for about 45
seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Place the yogurt in a bowl or one-quart measuring cup.
Add the roasted cumin and the salt.
- In a small frying pan or saucepan which has a cover
place the ghee over low heat. When the ghee is melted, stir in the black
mustard seeds. Cover the pan and shake it occasionally; as the ghee heats
up, the seeds will pop and spatter. When they have stopped spattering,
remove the pan from the heat.
- Mix the fried mustard seeds, along with the ghee used
to fry them, into the yogurt mixture.
- When the spinach has steamed for 5 minutes, remove it
from the heat. Drain the spinach well, squeezing out any excess moisture
with paper towels. Then add the cooked spinach to the yogurt mixture, and
mix thoroughly. This yields about 3 c. Empty it into an attractive serving
dish, preferably a glass one; cover and refrigerate for at least 90
minutes.
To
serve: When you get to the hosthome, be sure to refrigerate the dish. Stir the
mixture before serving.