Spinach Salad is a popular and healthy salad using spinach as the main ingredient. Salads are one of the simplest ways to good health. A simple salad that can be as diverse as there are people on this planet. To make a salad you just need fresh ingredients and a lot of imagination.
I am blessed to have a family that loves salads. The best way to get my teenage kiddo to the table is to tell her I have mixed the salad, “Come before it loses its crunch," is implied. Sneaky but works all the time!
During the lockdown two bundles of palak from the farm were precious. I used the farm-fresh to make palak paneer, palak daal and this palak salad. Today I am updating an old salad post where I have used palak or spinach. The other salads we love are Hesar Bale Gajjari Kosambri, Red Lentil Salad, and Fresh Dandelion Greens Salad.
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To make the salad I plucked the tender leaves that were at the bottom of the huge plants we had. Never have I delved so much into plucking the leaves. Anyway, the leaves at the bottom were small, soft and delicious and tasted best as Palak Salad.
Why eat salads?
The reasons to eat salads are
- Different vegetables and fruits that are included in a salad meet your daily needs for different fresh fruits and vegetables.
- When you mix the different veggies and fruits at hand you are mixing up different textures, colours and flavours. Even kids will enjoy it.
- Teaching your kids to eat salad makes them healthier at a younger age. They are eating fibre so they are less prone to constipation and they feel fuller. Less prone to eating junk.
- Since you are fuller you will eat less and your weight and cholesterol levels will get better.
- The benefits of eating salads include higher haemoglobin and antioxidants. With this, you can fight diseases.
Can you eat Spinach raw?
The answer is yes, you can. You will either love it or hate it for the distinctive taste of bitterness. The smaller leaves are tender and not so bitter plus they taste good. Pair them well and they taste good. You can also use the leaves in sandwiches.
Is palak salads good for you?
Palak or spinach is an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamin C, folic acid, iron and calcium along with other nutrients. Helps to keep your heart and eyes healthy too.
Though I love a salad in any form I must say I am a bit, a wee bit more partial to the Indian style of salads. We add onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and radish. We may add roasted peanut powder and/or coconut. In the past, I used to insist on tempering, but now I am okay without one too. A splash of lemon juice or chaat, salt and sugar.
Ingredients
- Palak: Spinach is a must-choose tender one else if like me generally you get the big huge leaves cut out the central veins.
- Veggies: I have used only tomatoes and onions but you can use any vegetable you have in your fridge. Cucumber, radish( use very little), carrots, onions (optional), boiled corn, beets.
- Coconut: Freshly grated coconut, again this is optional if you do not like the taste you can avoid it.
- Garlic: Use finely minced as per your taste. I use it sparingly, but you can add as much as you want.
- Lemon juice: Add a dash of lemon juice for a lovely flavour.
- Chaat Masala: This tangy masala gives a lovely flavour. You can substitute it with sumac or add more lemon juice.
- Salt: If you are using chaat masala go easy on the salt here.
- Sugar: To balance out the taste.
- Optional ingredients: You can add fruits like apples, strawberries, pears, fresh figs, oranges, feta or cheese of your choice, and eggs. If you eat meat, add boiled chicken, fish and prawns.
- Nuts: Use walnuts, pumpkin seeds, almond slivers, peanuts.
Method
- Wash and rinse all your ingredients.
- Drain and let the spinach dry on a tea towel start with the rest of your ingredients.
- Make even-sized pieces of the tomatoes or any vegetables and fruits you are using. Add them to a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
- Remember to chop the apples, pears last as they tend to oxidize and become brown.
- Make a stack of the spinach leaves on the cutting board and cut them into thin ribbons. The term used for this cutting is Chiffonade'. Generally, leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and basil are cut like this.
- Add the spinach Chiffonade' to the bowl, and add apples and pears if you are using them. Add the rest of the ingredients except salt and toss.
- Check for seasoning and adjust.
- Serve immediately.
Variations
- Add fruits as varied as strawberries to figs, apples, and pears.
- Add pasta, eggs, beet and even feta to make a delicious and healthy meal.
- You can add different vinaigrettes like red wine vinaigrette or go for a Moroccan touch and use yoghurt dressing.
- I prefer an Indian touch of lemon and salt a sprinkling of chaat masala and chilli powder to my palak salad.
- Or I will make palak raita.
- Palak salad can also be made with non-vegetarian ingredients like boiled chicken, stir-fried prawns, bacon.
Other Spinach Dishes
- Palak ka Saag
- Palak Kuttu
- Palak Pulao
- Palak Chakali
- Vegan Hara Bhara Millets Kebabs
- Caldo Verde, a Vegan Soup
- Healthy Green Smoothie
- Qorma-e-Sabzi
Palak Salad, Indian Style
Equipment
- Bowl for mixing
- Chopping Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup palak chopped fine
- ½ cup coconut freshly grated
- 1 onion, small chopped fine
- 1 green chilli slit
- 3-4 nos. garlic
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and rinse all your ingredients. Dry the spinach.
- Make even sized pieces of tomatoes, or any vegetables and fruits you are using. Add them to a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
- Make a stack of the spinach leaves on the cutting board and cut them into thin chiffonade'.
- Add the spinach chiffonade to the bowl, add apples and pears if you are using them. Add the rest of the ingredients except salt and toss.
- Check for seasoning and adjust. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pin Later
Maria says
What a fabulous idea! Looks very summery. The coconut and chaat masala must balance the flavours and add a kick to it.
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Maria you are very kind.
Poonam Bachhav says
You are really blessed to have a family who loves salads. There will be no taker of raw spinach at my house except me. With coconut, onion and tomato going in I am sure this spinach salad is a treat any day. I would love trying it out soon.
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Poonam.
Mayuri Patel says
That's a simple and yet very flavorful and healthy salad. Generally I try and add spinach leaves to my salads, but making that ingredient the star... innovative recipe Archana.
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Mayuri.
Renu says
I am loving the addition of coconut here, never did that in a salad. Would love to try it out next with my home grown palak.
ArchanaPotdar says
😀 Homegrown is delicious.
Seema Sriram says
Love this simple idea , Archana. the meal with a side of green freshness is always the perfect one and this palak salad is just the right thing.
ArchanaPotdar says
Yes, Seema you can use a variety of leaves I have also made the same with radish leaves.
Shobha Keshwani says
I love Indian style salads. Spinach salad looks si healthy and delicious. This salad is perfect for a cool and loght meal in summer.
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Shobha.
Chef Mireille says
I love using spinach as my lettuce in salads. The gentle sweet taste is my favorite green leaf veg. Love the simple seasonings in this Indian version. Will definitely add it to the repertoire.
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Mir.
Nayna Kanabar says
I am a big fan of salads cold and warm and I am always looking forward to discovering new salad ideas. This spinach salad with the onions and coconut sounds right up my street. This is the perfect way to add iron to your diet in a healthy and tasty way.
ArchanaPotdar says
Thanks, Nayana.
Preethicuisine says
Palak salad sounds so innovative. I love the ingredients used in this salad. So light and refreshing. I would love to try adding strawberries . Love this summary salad.
ArchanaPotdar says
Adding strawberries is a wonderful idea I must try.
Jayashree T.Rao says
I love having spinach salad but hardly make it. Have made it a couple of times earlier, a good reminder to make it again.
ArchanaPotdar says
😀 I know we forget so many recipes. 😀