Palak Corn Recipe

closeup shot of palak corn in a white bowl with three ginger juliennes on a white doily placed above folded red napkin

4.96 from 23 votes

This curried Palak Corn recipe is a rich, saucy preparation that's made with fresh spinach and sweet corn. It is lightly spiced and perfectly creamy, and great to pair with classic Indian sides.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

Main ingredients

1 bunch spinach (palak) - yields approx 2 to 2.5 cups spinach puree or 250 grams spinach
4 to 5 cups water - for boiling the water and blanching the spinach
2 to 3 cups ice cold water or chilled water - for adding the blanched spinach leaves
2 cups sweet corn kernels or 2 medium corn cobs or green peas
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pinch turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
¼ or ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
½ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed
¼ cup light cream or cooking cream (20% to 25% low fat cream) - whisked till smooth - optional
1 cup water
2 to 3 tablespoons oil or butter or ghee

For masala paste

⅓ cup chopped onion or 1 medium-sized
½ cup chopped tomatoes or 1 medium-sized
1 inch ginger - roughly chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves - small to medium sized, chopped
1 or 2 green chilies - chopped or 1 teaspoon chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cashews
½ tablespoon melon seeds (magaz) - you can also use watermelon seeds.

For garnish

½ to 1 inch ginger - julienne

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing masala paste

In a small grinder or blender, add all the ingredients listed under "Masala paste" above.
Grind or blend to a smooth paste. Add very little water if required while grinding.
Keep this masala paste aside.

Blanching and making spinach puree

Rinse the spinach very well in water. Boil water with ½ teaspoon salt. Let the water comes to a boil. Then switch off the flame. Immediately add the spinach leaves to this hot water.
And let the spinach leaves be immersed in the water for 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain the water and quickly pour ice water over the spinach or immerse the spinach in ice cold or cold water. Keep for 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain the ice cold water or remove the blanched spinach leaves with the help of pasta tongs and place them in a blender.
Blend to a semi-fine or smooth spinach puree adding very little water, if needed. Set aside.

Making Corn Palak

First steam or boil the corn kernels and keep aside. You can choose to steam the raw corn kernels or corn cobs in a pan or steamer or stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
In the step wise instructions above I have detailed the steps to cook corn kernels in a stovetop pressure cooker. You can also use canned corn kernels to cut down on cooking time.
After you have cooked the corn kernels drain all the water from them and set aside.
For the cooked corn cobs, let them cool completely. Then carefully remove the corn kernels with a knife.
Heat oil or butter or ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Fry the cumin first till they crackle, become aromatic and are browned.
Now add the ground masala paste and mix very well.
Then add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida and garam masala powder.
Keep on stirring and sautéing the masala, till the oil starts to leave the sides of the paste.
When you see that the oil has started leaving the sides of the masala paste and its color has changed, the paste has thickened and have become glossy, then add the spinach puree. Mix very well.
Then pour water and season with salt as required. Simmer the curry for 6 to 7 minutes on a low heat. Later add the boiled corn kernels and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Whip or beat cream till smooth in a bowl with a wired whisk or spoon.
Now add cream and dry fenugreek leaves. Stir and cook further for ½ to 1 minute.
Garnish with ginger julienne and serve corn palak hot with naan, roti, paratha or jeera rice or steamed rice.

Nutrition