Indian Greens with Ginger, Fennel and Cumin
This dish was adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe for spinach that I found here. I tend to use what is readily available at my house, rather than going to the store to purchase missing ingredients. Fortunately, I have most Indian spices on hand, having gone through many Indian cuisine phases (obsessions) in the past.
Preparation
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I just used more oil, since local butter isn’t available at the moment)
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black cumin seeds (I used plain cumin seeds)
- 1-1/2 medium onions, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and cut crosswise into thin half-rings
- 1 piece fresh ginger (3/4 inch), peeled and cut into thin strips (I store fresh ginger in the freezer in a zip plastic bag)
- 2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and trimmed (I used kale and bok choy)
- 1 fresh, hot, green chile or 1/3 jalapeno, cut into thin rings
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, I used enough chili that this wasn’t necessary)
Directions
- Heat oil and butter in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. When hot, add fennel and cumin seeds. Stir, and add onions and ginger. Stir-fry until onions turn a rich brown color, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add spinach. Cover pan, and cook until spinach has wilted completely, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. When spinach has wilted, reduce the heat to medium. Add chile, salt, and cayenne pepper, and stir. Cover pan, and cook a few minutes more.
- Uncover skillet, and stir. Cook until there is hardly any liquid left in the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes more.
- Serve with other yummy Indian dishes, such as Indian-spiced salmon, Fresh Green Chutney and Indian Rice.