Palak feta (Indian spinach with feta)

Indian food is probably my favorite cuisine. I've been inspired by Madhur Jaffery's excellent Vegetarian India and I've also been watching Priya Krishna's Indianish videos. This week, I made an Indian dish every day, slowly building an Indian buffet of leftovers in my fridge. I made this palak feta, roasted aloo gobi, and Instant Pot coconut dal.

I made Priya's palak feta, which subs in feta cheese for the Indian fresh cheese, paneer. I was a little wary that the strong, briny, tangy flavor of the feta would clash with the Indian spices, but Priya was right. Once the feta has cooked in the dish for a few minutes, the flavors start to meld and it adds the perfect amount of flavorful bite. I modified the recipe a bit to simplify it. Instead of adding a chhonk (spices sauteed in oil) at the last minute, I just sauteed the spices with the onion at the beginning of the dish. I added some additional spices, and used frozen spinach instead of fresh. This is clearly a really flexible recipe!


Palak Feta
3 T butter
2 t cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped finely
1 t minced garlic or ginger-garlic paste
2 t ground coriander
1 t turmeric (optional)
1/2 t ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 t cayenne pepper
~24 oz frozen chopped spinach
1 cup water

1/2 t salt
8 oz. feta, cut into 1" pieces
1 t lemon or lime juice (optional)

handful of chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

Saute spices, onion, and garlic ginger paste until golden brown. Add spinach, water, and salt and simmer for 10 minutes. Add feta and simmer for another five minutes. Garnish with citrus juice and cilantro (optional).