Palak Feta and Tofu – like Palak Paneer but with a surprisingly delicious twist! The classic Indian dish with puréed spinach, cheese cubes, and seasoned with ginger, garlic, and garam masala. This version has a Chapi’s Kitchen spin using fresh feta and crispy tofu in place of the traditional paneer, and it is packed with spinach. After perfecting this version, I think it’s better than in restaurants!
When my husband and I go out for Indian food, there is a 100% chance we’ll order Palak Paneer. We’ve eaten it at Indian restaurants all around the world (including the Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong to, well… India), and we’re still not tired of it. After making it in a cooking class in Delhi, I realized it was actually quite simple to make. And now that I’ve tinkered around a bit, I believe I’ve come up with my favorite version.
Why make Palak Feta?
Crispy Tofu and Fresh Feta in place of Paneer
It’s like paneer, but I like it better. While this isn’t traditional, once you try it it’ll be hard to go back. I use a block of fresh French feta, which is so creamy and flavorful, that I secretly hope every block I eat will be feta. This idea came from Priya at Bon Appetit, and if her mom says it’s okay to use feta in place of paneer, I’m 100% on board. Then, there is tofu. I added this because I wanted some more protein and less fat (though all feta would be SO good), so I cubed some tofu and lightly fried it in coconut oil. It is a perfect addition.
More spinach, less oil
While most restaurant versions use so much ghee or oil that it ends up floating on top, I’ve perfected this so it uses enough ghee to provide tremendous flavor, but also keeps it healthy enough to eat on a random weeknight and still feel good about the decision. It also uses an entire pound of spinach (or exactly one box from Costco).
As easy as it gets
As a lazy cook who doesn’t like to do unnecessary steps or wash extra dishes, I have tried multiple versions and gotten this down to the minimum amount of steps without reducing the quality of the end product. Sure, tracking down the spices involves a little adventure (though Sprouts Farmer’s Market or any Middle Eastern market are safe bets), but that’s the only hard part.
Enough for leftovers
The first time I made this recipe, I spent forever in the kitchen and it made enough to feed two people. That’s it. No leftovers for lunch the next day, just one dinner and a ton of dishes to wash. If I’m going to go to the effort of tracking down the ingredients and making a palak dish, I’m going to enjoy the fruits of my labor for a few days. This recipe generously serves 4, though I always double it.
How to make this Palak Feta:
I’ve included details in the recipe below, but these are the general steps.
Step 1: In a large pan, cook chilies and wilt spinach, then blend with cream.
Step 2: In the same pan (with spinach now removed), bloom whole spices in ghee, then add onion and cook until soft. Eventually add garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and whole spices, which will all cook together in this pan.
Step 3: Add puréed spinach into the pan with the onion and spices and mix together. This is the spinach mixture!
Step 4: In a clean pan, heat coconut oil over medium heat and fry tofu cubes until they’re lightly crispy. Then add the crispy tofu cubes and fresh feta cubes to the spinach mixture and simmer for a few minutes. Now we’re done!
Step 5: Don’t be fooled. While these steps are easy, this dish does take time. It will take about an hour to get it on the table, but that little bit of patience will be greatly rewarded!
Palak Feta (with tofu!)
The classic Indian dish with puréed spinach, cheese cubes, and seasoned with ginger, garlic, and garam masala. This version has a Chapi's Kitchen spin using crispy tofu and fresh feta in place of the traditional paneer, and is packed with spinach. After perfecting this version, I think it's better than in restaurants!
Ingredients
Whole Spices
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 whole green cardamom pods
- 2" cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
Additional Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups feta cheese/tofu cubes, cubed and separated about 1/3 lb fresh French feta and 1 small package of firm tofu. Use a paper towel to pat dry the tofu cubes.
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 lb baby spinach one box of organic baby spinach from Costco
- 4 tbsp ghee, divided can sub normal butter
- 4-6 green chilies, deseeded and finely chopped I used serrano chilies. Wear gloves!
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped about 1 large onion
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 cup tomatoes, deseeded and chopped about 1 large tomato
- 1/2 tsp salt +more to taste
- 6 tbsp heavy cream +more for serving
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek seeds
Instructions
Making the spinach gravy:
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Heat 2 T ghee in a large frying pan. Cook the chilies and spinach 3-4 minutes until thoroughly wilted and it no longer smells like raw spinach. Cool slightly, then transfer to a blender then blend with the cream. Set aside. Rinse and lightly dry the frying pan, then use it for the next step.
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Heat the last 2 T glee in the frying pan. Add the whole spices and allow them to sizzle and become fragrant, about 15 seconds.
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Add the onions to the pan (leaving the whole spices) and fry until they're transparent to golden, about 5-8 minutes.
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Add in the garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds
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Add the tomatoes and salt, and cook until the tomatoes break down and turn mushy, about 8 minutes.
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Add fenugreek and garam masala. Sauté 4 more minutes until very fragrant. During this time, remove the whole spices.
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Remove the onion/tomato mixture from the pan and set aside. Rinse out the pan.
Frying the Tofu:
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Heat the same frying pan over medium heat ad add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the cubed tofu and cook until lightly brown and crispy (about 4 minutes, tossing occasionally).
Combine it together:
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Lower the flame for the pan of crispy tofu and add in the pureed spinach and the tomato mixture. Mix well and cook until it bubbles, 3-4 minutes. Then turn off the heat, fold in the fresh feta cubes, top with a splash of cream, and serve!
