By Devi Poojari
1 bunch spinach 200 grams feta cheese 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 cardamom pods 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 onion, chopped finely 1 tablespoon grated ginger 2 green chillies 2 + 1 tablespoons ghee 1 teaspoon red chilli powder ½ teaspoon asafoetida Juice of half a lemon
Heat the ghee in a skillet and add the cardamom pods and coriander seeds. Once the coriander begins to brown lightly, add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook them until aromatic and the onions begin to brown on the edges.
Wash and roughly chop the spinach and cook it for about 5 minutes, until it begins to wilt. Add the green chillies and season lightly. Take the pan off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down considerably before sticking the contents into a blender jar and blitzing to a smooth paste, similar to how you would for palak paneer.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of ghee in the pan and temper with the cumin seeds. Once it begins to splutter, add the asafoetida powder followed by the spinach paste back into the pan and swirl the residue in the blender jar with some water and add that to the pan as well.
Add the red chilli powder and cook this mixture for a couple of minutes until you have a gravy that’s fairly thick enough to scoop up with rotis. Cube the feta into chunks of your desired size and add them to the pan. Cook for another 3-4 minutes without mixing too much, to avoid the feta cubes disintegrating into the spinach gravy.
Take off the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Serve warm with rotis, rice and sliced onions. Note: Be careful not to season the spinach gravy with salt as the feta makes up for the lack of seasoning.