cooking spinach?

[triona.d.]

hiya, i've got some spinach which i want to cook but whenever i cook spinach (in the past i've just steamed it) it goes kind of water-logged and not all that nice. but the other night i went out for a thali and had a beautiful spinach dish! does anyone have any advice about cooking my spinach to have as just a side vegetable?? thanks! tri :)

[Korn]

Hi Triona,
if you look for Saag Paneer recipes and replace the dairy products with vegan alternatives, you'll have a great, Indian style spinach meal.
You could also search for spinach here (http://www.ivu.org/recipes/).

A quick way to make a tasty, quasi-Indian spinach meal is to roast some garlic, onion and garam masala in a little sunflower or olive oil, and then add a few handfuls of spinach. Add a cup of coconut milk, a little tahini sauce, maybe some (pureed?) tomatoes and finally mash the whole thing. Chili and fresh ginger is also good with spinach. If you want the end result to look less green/more brownish, you can add a little soy sauce. Fresh red/green chili and fresh ginger is also good in spinach dish.

Also, look here (http://www.recipezaar.com/108787)!

[harpy]

I wouldn't add any water before cooking it - just wash it, then shake out as much of the water as possible, then put it in the pan, either on its own or with a tsp of oil, and heat it over a gentle heat, stirring, until it's just wilted. Then add whatever seasoning you fancy, e.g. lemon juice.

The water that clings to it after washing is enough to cook it. Any more and it will go soggy.

[cedarblue]

when i've cooked/steamed my spinach, i just put it in the colander and give it a good squeeze to push out any water accumulated during cooking.

make sure you wash spinach well too - there's nothing worse than gritty spinach!!

[Kiran]

I use raw spinach in my cooking and as much as possible I add it in the end of the cooking process. Spinach can easily loose nutrients even by steaming. I prefer to mash it up in a blender to form a thick puree. I then add a garlic curry base with roasted onions.

[Hemlock]

I cook spinach for no longer than two minutes, no steaming, I just fold it into whatever else I am cooking - risotto, stir fry or whatever or stir fry it slightly damp for two minutes on it's own with minimal oil until it is just wilted.

[triona.d.]

thanks everyone - i took your advice and i didn't steam it but fried it for minimal time with a little garlic and a little olive oil and it was lovely - not water-logged at all! thanks, tri

[flying plum]

A quick way to make a tasty, quasi-Indian spinach meal is to roast some garlic, onion and garam masala in a little sunflower or olive oil, and then add a few handfuls of spinach. Add a cup of coconut milk, a little tahini sauce, maybe some (pureed?) tomatoes and finally mash the whole thing. Chili and fresh ginger is also good with spinach. If you want the end result to look less green/more brownish, you can add a little soy sauce. Fresh red/green chili and fresh ginger is also good in spinach dish.

just wanted to say, i made this yesterday for lunch (minus tahina and garam masala, plus cinnimon stick, cumin and crushed chilis tempered with the onions and garlic) and it was sooooo good! sorry for the recipie adaption - i didn't have the same spices in my cupboard!

amanda

[Korn]

sorry for the recipie adaption Forgiven. :) I'm sure any mix of more or less 'exotic' spices will work...