Restaurant style Lasooni Palak Recipe with a Secret Ingredient (2024)

Today, I am back with yet another palak recipe, poised to tantalize your taste buds and elevate your dining experience. Restaurant style Lasooni Palak Recipe is a quick and simple preparation and takes less than 40 minutes to prepare.

“Lassoni” or “Lehsuni” are words that people use interchangeably, but they both mean something is garlicky or flavored with garlic as the main ingredient.

Generally, palak is available throughout the year. But, Winter is a season when a variety of fresh produce is available. The cold weather enhances the flavor and tenderness of these greens, making them more suitable for this dish.

Lasooni palak, also known as garlic-flavored spinach stands out for several reasons. A dish known for its rich garlic and spinach flavors, is often a favorite on restaurant and dhaba (roadside eatery) menus.

In this recipe, I unravel the secrets behind restaurant style.

About Restaurant style Lasooni Palak Recipe

What makes this Lasooni Palak Recipe truly restaurant-style is the inclusion of cheese (processed) and fresh cream, adding a creamy richness to the dish.

Some restaurant-style palak gravy recipes incorporate mawa/kova to add an extra layer of richness and creaminess.

The texture of restaurant-style Lasooni Palak is characterized by a smooth and velvety consistency. This is achieved by blanching the spinach to perfection and blending it into a fine puree.

The tempering or tadka, often done with ingredients like cumin seeds, garlic, dry red chilies, and Kashmiri red chili powder, adds an extra layer of flavor.

I really enjoy the strong and flavorful taste that comes when garlic is slightly burnt. Depending on personal taste, you can choose to sauté garlic lightly for a milder flavor or let it brown more for a deeper flavor.

The taste profile of restaurant-style Lasooni Palak is a harmonious blend of robust flavors – garlicky richness, creamy smoothness, and subtle heat.

Apart from taste, the dish offers several health benefits:

1. Spinach, the primary ingredient, is packed with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals like iron and calcium.

2. Both spinach and garlic possess antioxidant properties.

3. Garlic helps reducing lowering blood pressure and cholestrol levels.

4. Spinach is a good source of dietary fiber, which supports healthy digestion.

Reasons to try

Restaurant style recipe.

Easy to make.

Need basic ingredients.

Geginner friendly recipe.

Visually appealing.

Delicious.

Vegetarian and Gluten free.

Pro Tips

1. Select fresh and tender spinach: Choose fresh and tender spinach leaves for the best flavor and texture. Choose spinach leaves that are vibrant green and have an overall fresh appearance. Avoid leaves that are yellowing or wilted. Also, avoid using spinach that is too mature, as it might result in a tougher consistency.

2. Blanching techniques: Achieving that vibrant green color in the spinach puree requires a skillful blanching technique. The greens are blanched in boiling water for a short period and then immediately transferred to ice-cold water. This process helps retain the color, nutrients, and freshness of the spinach.

3. Thickening agent: Cheese acts as a natural thickening agent in the palak gravy. It helps give the gravy a rich and hearty consistency, making it slightly thicker and more satisfying.

4. Perfect garlic infusion: To achieve that signature garlic flavor, finely mince the garlic. Saute the garlic in hot ghee or oil until it turns a golden brown color. Be vigilant to avoid burning the garlic, as it can impart a bitter taste.

5. Adjust the spice: While this curry recipe is mildly spicy, feel free to tailor the spice levels to your taste preference.

Ingredients

Spinach leaves: Select fresh and vibrant spinach leaves.

Oil: I have used vegetable oil. Any oil works well for this recipe.

Onion & Tomato: form the base of the gravy.

Ginger-garlic paste.

Green chilies: The only ingredient for heat.

Coriander leaves.

Spices: cumin, coriander, kitchen king or garam masala, and kasuri methi.

Butter, cheese & cream: Use processed cheese only.

Seasoning: salt.

Tempering: oil, butter, cumin, garlic, dry red chili, and kashmiri red chili powder.

How to make Lasooni Palak (step-by-step)

Pre-prep

Start with fresh and clean spinach leaves. Remove any tough stems or damaged leaves.

Peel and finely chop or slice the garlic cloves.

Step 1: Blanching & Grinding Palak

1. Fill a large and wide bowl with plenty of water. Make sure the container is big enough to accommodate the spinach leaves without overcrowding. Submerge the spinach leaves in the water.

Swirl them around gently to loosen any dirt or sand. Pour out the water and repeat the step 2-3 times.

2. Heat water in a large pot and bring it to a rolling boil.

The pot should be large enough to accommodate the spinach leaves without overcrowding.

3. Once the water is boiling, submerge the spinach leaves, green chilies, and coriander leaves into the boiling water. Add sugar and mix well.

Note: Sugar helps to retain the vibrant green color of the leaves.

Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes.

4. Blanch the spinach for approximately 1 minute or until the leaves wilt slightly without overcooking.

5. Using the slotted spoon, quickly transfer the blanched spinach leaves to the cold water bowl.

Note: This will rapidly cool down the leaves and stop the cooking process.

6. Gently squeeze out any excess water from the blanched spinach and add them to the blender jar.

7. Blend the spinach leaves until you achieve a smooth puree.

Note: If needed, you can add a small amount of water to aid in blending, but avoid making the puree too watery.

Step 2: Making Palak Gravy

8. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high flame. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them crackle.

9. Add finely sliced onions to the pan and sauté until they turn light brown color.

Note: Make sure not to brown the onions, it will turn the gravy dark in color.

10. Add ginger-garlic paste and turmeric powder. Saute until the raw aroma goes away.

11. Add finely chopped tomatoes. Saute until the tomatoes are soft and the oil starts to separate from the masala.

12. Once the tomatoes are soft, add a splash of water.

Note: Water helps onion and tomatoes soften further and contributes to smooth gravy.

13. Pour in the blended spinach puree.

14. Mix well and saaute it for 3-5 minutes or until the moisture reduces,

15. Add water to adjust the consistency and give a good mix.

Note: Adjust the quantity of water based on whether you want a thick, medium, or thin consistency for your gravy.

16. Add coriander powder, kitchen king masala or garam masala, and salt to taste.

Note: Be cautious while adding salt as we are adding cheese too.

17. Add grated processed cheese and stir until it melts in the gravy.

18. Add dried fenugreek leaves and stir for 5 seconds.

19. Add butter and fresh cream. Stir until well combined and let it simmer for a few more minutes.

Note: Do not over cook the cream. It will lead to separation of fat, and give the gravy a greasy or oily texture.

20. Plain Palak gravy is ready. The next step is garlic tadka.

Step 3: Lasooni Tadka

21. In a small pan or tadka pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat.

22. Add cumin and allow them to splutter. Add finely chopped garlic to the pan.

Sauté until the garlic turns light golden brown. The residual heat will continue to cook the garlic for a short duration.

23. Add dry red chilies and saute until they release their aroma and darken slightly.

Note: Take care not to turn the red chilies to black.

24. Turn off the flame and add kashmiri red chili powder and give a good stir.

25. Pour the garlic tadka over the prepared dish.

Restaurant style Lasooni Palak is ready. Serve it hot or warm with choice of flatbread or rice.

Serving Suggestions

Lasooni palak pair well with various accompaniments:

Flatbreads: roti, plain paratha, tandoori roti, butter naan, rumali roti, or lachha paratha, etc

Rice: plain steamed rice, or basmati rice.

Flavored rice: jeera rice, veg pulao, bagara rice, etc.

Storage Suggestions

If you want to store the curry, I would suggest to skip garlic tempering. Add a fresh tadka before serving.

Transfer the Lasooni Palak to an airtight container. Allow it to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days.

Before serving reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or in a microwave.

More Related Recipes

Palak Paneer

Veg Butter Masala

Aloo Palak Restaurant style

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Masala

If you’ve tried this AuthenticRestaurant style Lasooni Palak Recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated. Also, please share the recipes with your friends and family members.

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