Home » Recipes » Spinach Rice Recipe

Spinach Rice Recipe

Are you bored of eating plain rice daily for lunch or dinner? Give your regular rice meal an unusual twist! Wondering how to do it? Make spinach rice! This tasty wonder blends rice with vibrant, fresh palak, creating a mix of a unique taste that moves around playfully in your mouth.

The palak rice recipe has basmati rice, fresh palak, and spices. Packed with iron, it is super-fast and easy to prepare for a quick meal. Even though the dish is mildly spiced, it is a complete meal in itself which does not require any sides. But you can pair it with vegetable salad or raita as per your choice to enhance its nutrition.

Ways to Prepare Palak Rice Recipe

You can cook palak rice in three ways:

In a pan on the stove stop
In a pressure cooker
In an instant pot

All these methods are discussed in the next sections, along with the required ingredients.

Ingredients for Palak Rice Recipe

The ingredients required for cooking spinach rice are as follows:

2 cups of fresh spinach leaves
Ghee or any unrefined oil
1 cup basmati rice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch piece of ginger, grated
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of coriander powder
2 green cardamoms
1 inch cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Salt to taste

Palak Rice Recipe

There are 3 ways to cook spinach rice, which are explained below:

In the Pan on the Stove

Here is how you can cook palak rice in a pan on the stove:

Preparation:

Wash 1 cup of Keshar Kali rice. Continue washing till the water is clear and free from starch. Next, soak rice grains in water for approximately 10 to 20 minutes. Drain out the water and keep the bowl of soaked rice aside.
When your rice is soaked, wash and rinse the spinach leaves properly. Then drain out the water and finely chop them. You will require 2 cups of palak.
Add the cut leaves, 1 to 3 green chilies, 1 inch ginger, 1 medium-sized tomato, and 3 to 4 garlic cloves into your mixer grinder. All these ingredients must be finely chopped. Add green chilies according to your needs.
Grind the ingredients thoroughly until you get a smooth paste. Put on the lid and set the paste aside.

Cook Palak Rice:

Here is how you can cook palak rice in a pan on the stove:

Keep a pan on your gas on a medium to high flame. Then add 2 tablespoons of unrefined cooking oil or ghee per your preference. Now turn the flame into a low medium and add the ingredients mentioned below:

1 bay leaf
3 to 4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
2 green cardamoms
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

Add ⅓ a cup of thinly sliced onions. Fry the onions until the colour changes to golden brown. Stir the onions often so that they are evenly cooked.
Next add the spinach paste. Saue the mixture properly for around for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add rice and stir all the ingredients. Add salt as per your taste and again stir well.
Pour 1 cup of water in your pan. For more soft textured rice pour another ½ cup of water.
Saute really well. At this point, you can add some drops of lemon juice. Taste the mixture and adjust the salt as per your taste.
Cover your pan and allow to rice to cook for 10 to 12 minutes. on a medium to medium-high heat.
After 10 to 12 minutes turn off your stive and wait for 3 to 4 minutes. Next remove your pan lid and fluff your cooked spinach rice.
Your spinach rice is ready to be served. You can serve with raita, curd, pickles, or salad. You can garnish your rice in any way you like: with coriander or mint leaves, corn, fried tofu or paneer cubes.

Pressure Cooker

Below is the step-by-step guide of palak rice recipe in a pressure cooker:

Soak one cup of Keshar Kali basmati rice for around 30 minutes and strain out the water later. During this time, wash the spinach leaves, rinse, strain out the water, and finely chop it. After chopping, put the chopped spinach leaves in a mixer grinder and make a smooth paste.
Put you pot or cooker on a low to high flame and pour around 1.5 tablespoons of ghee or oil.
Add one bay leaf and half a teaspoon of cumin seeds. After they splutter, toss in freshly cut green chillies, tomatoes, and onions. Stir this mixture well.
Next grate ginger and garlic into fine pieces. Put them into your mixer grinder and make a paste. Add this paste into your pot or cooker. Let it fry for at least 30 seconds.
Next add freshly cut potatoes, mint leaves, and spinach puree. Keeping stirring the mixture until the leaves wilt.
Next, add spices along with salt as per taste. Stir it for some seconds.
Then add 1/4th cup of water and mix properly.
Close the lid of cooker and properly position the steam release handle.
Put your pressure cooker on a medium flame. Let it blow out two whistles and allow the pressure to release naturally.
Turn off the gas and put cooker on your kitchen slab for around two minutes. Then, take off the lid and fluff the cooked rice using a fork.
Let it cool and then squeeze in lemon juice. Serve this nutritious spinach rice with raita or salad.

In An Instant Pot

Follow the above-mentioned pressure cooker palak rice recipe to prepare the same dish in an instant pot. The instant pot cooking method is the same with some basic differences:

When pouring oil or ghee into the instant pot, press the saute button.
Then follow the above steps.
After closing the pot lid, select the pressure cook button and set the timer to 5 minutes. Once your rice is cooked, your pot will beep.
Allow to pressure to naturally release itself for around 3 to 4 minutes. Next remove the steam release value from sealing to venting to release the remaining cooker pressure manually.
Fluff the cooked palak rice with a fork and your dish is ready to be served.

Conclusion:

Spinach rice is a wonderful, delicious, and a nutritious alternative to plain rice. It is a delightful combination of vibrant flavours and healthy ingredients. Rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants, the addition of palak gives your regular rice a pop of colour. The palak rice recipe is the perfect meal for casual lunch gatherings and busy days. Its simple ingredients and easy cooking method appeals to everyone. Whether you enjoy spinach rice with yogurt or solo, the dish is a versatile option that only satisfies your taste buds but also nourishes your whole body. So, buy best quality rice, from Keshar Kali today, embrace this wholesome dish, and freshness to your dining experience!

More Recipes