Palak Mushrooms - Spinach with Mushrooms

A very delicious and healthy dish with Spinach and Mushrooms - Palak Mushrooms in Ayurvedic style.

Ingredients

500 g Mushrooms

1 kg Spinach

2 tbsp Ghee

25 g Sour cream if you wish

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/8 tsp Mace

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Coriander

either 1 tsp Ginger Powder or fresh Ginger chopped in small pieces

salt according to taste

How to cook Palak Mushrooms in an Ayurvedic Way

As a preparation for this dish you need to cut the mushroom in pieces. You can cut them in whatever shape you prefer, slices or cubes. The spinach leaves need to be washed and any hard parts of the stem of the leaves need to be removed, if they are very long. Just cut them off a bit and then cut or tear the leaves in small to medium pieces.

Heat up the Ghee in a pot. When it is hot, add the cumin which should start sizzling right away. Turn down the heat on a low to medium level so that the spices don’t burn but get roasted. Add mustard seeds, mace, garam masala, coriander and the ginger and roast the spices with stirring until they have a nice aroma. Again, don’t let them burn!

Now you give the mushrooms into the pot and mix them well with the spices. Mushrooms will leave a lot of water while cooking. Add salt now on top of the mushrooms so that it can start draining the water out of the mushrooms. You start cooking them while stirring, as soon as you see that the bottom of the pot is wet from the mushrooms’ water, you can place a lid on the pot and let the mushrooms cook. From time to time you open the lid and stir. On these occasions you will see how much water came out of the mushrooms. When they are half-covered with water, you take the lid off and let them cook openly so that the water can evaporate. 

When about half of the water is left in the pot, you can add the spinach leaves. Stir and mix them well with the mushrooms and let them cook while stirring from time to time. Let the leaves get fully cooked and soft.

If you wish you can add some sour cream in the end and of course add salt according to your taste. 

For a nice look and a little taste, you can add fresh coriander leaves on top.

Enjoy your meal!

Ayurvedic and Nutritional Values

It is commonly known that spinach is a rich source of iron and calcium. It is good for your bones, your hair and your blood flow. Spinach and Mushrooms both pacify Kapha, which means that this dish reduces phlegm and mucus in the body. Through its combination with the Ayurvedic spices we used, it balances Pitta and Vata, the acidity and air in your body.