Spinach Soup / Palak Soup
The next in my soup series is the Spinach soup. The other recipes that I classified as in-a-jiffy might be a force-fit in that category, but this one can definitely be made and served in a jiffy.
The goodness of Spinach will be imprinted in the minds of the late 80s and 90s kids like me, where all that the sailor man Popeye needs to win his girl from the mighty Bluto is just a bunch of spinach. (if you can relate ;) ) Do you think it was a bit of an exaggeration ? But that definitely made the job of a lot of our moms easier to feed the kids spinach. What is surprising is the same trick works even with my kids.
Among the World's Healthiest vegetables, spinach comes out at the top of our ranking list for nutrient richness. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients such as carotenoids and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection.(source - http://www.whfoods.com/). So this Spinach soup which has a whole bunch of Spinach packed in it, is a very healthy soup and an ideal way to make your fussy kids enjoy their greens.
This soup is done by blanching the spinach and blending it and cooking it adding little milk and spices to get a little creamy texture. It is recommended to boil the Spinach just for a minute to reduce it concentration of oxalic acid but not lose its nutriets, so blanching is the perfect technique for Spinach
Here's the REcipe.
Difficulty Level - Very Easy.
Ingredients :
1. Spinach - 1 Bunch or roughly chopped 2 Cups.
2. Milk - 3/4 Cup (preferably whole milk)
3. Salt - to taste
4. Onion Powder - 1 Tbsp.
5. Garlic Powder - 2 Tbsp.
6. Black Pepper powder - 1 Tbsp.
7. Butter - 1 Tbsp (Optional)
8. Cream - For Garnish (Optional)
Method :
Preparation :
Time Taken : 10 mts.
1. Boil water nicely , transfer it to a bowl.
2. Add the cleaned and washed Spinach to this and let it stay for 5-6 mts.
This is called blanching the Spinach. The spinach will begin to slightly wilt.Use just required amount of water
so it can be used up later in the soup.
Method :
Time Taken : 5 mts.
1. Add the blanched spinach in a blender and blend it to a fine paste.
2. TRansfer the contents to a pan and heat in simmer for 5 min.
3. Add the milk slowly stirring it consinuously.
4. Add the salt, pepper and other spice powders.
5. After 5-6 mts, switch off the stove.
Serve the hot Spinach milk topped with some cream or cheese.
Notes :
1. Onion powder can be substituted by adding sauteed onions. Just add them while blending spinach.
2. Garlic powder can be substituted by adding fresh garlic. Add sauteed garlic to the bender too.
