Click here to view Palak Kadhi recipe. Ever thought of making kadhi with an infusion of palak? Sounds strange, but tastes and looks very interesting. Palak purée and green paste imparts flavouir along with a bright green colour and vitamin A to the dish. You can skip the garlic if you do not like its flavour. Serve with a bowl of brown rice.

Is Palak Kadhi healthy?

Yes, palak kadhi is healthy for most but see our comments below. This is a popular kadhi which most of us have eaten it at some point. Made of besan, low fat curds, spinach, little sugar and Indian spices.

Let's understand the ingredients.

What's good in palak kadhi.

1. Besan : Besan has more good fat than whole wheat flour and also higher protein content. Rich in complex carbohydrates and with a low glycemic index, besan is good for diabetics too. Besan is high in Folate or folic acid, which is important for rapid growth and multiplication of red blood cells and white blood cells (WBC) in the bone marrow. See 10 detailed benefits of besan and why it's good for you.  

2. Curd + Low fat Curds :  Curds help in digestion as it has very good bacteria. Probiotics in curds acts as a mild laxative but, in case of diarrhoea and dysentery, it is a boon, if curd is used with rice.They help in weight reduction, good for your heart and build immunity. The only difference between curds and low fat curds is the fat level. Read the benefits of curds to include in your daily diet. 

3. Spinach (Palak) : Spinach is one of the richest plant sources of Iron and it should be part of a healthy diet for everyone.  Raw spinach is very rich in insoluble fibre, 25% having soluble fiber and 75% insoluble fiber.  Spinach is good for the heart, diabetics and eyes. Read this on the 17 benefits of spinach and why you should eat it. 

4. Coriander (kothmir, dhania) : Coriander is a fresh herb often used as a flavour enhancer in Indian cooking. It is mainly used as a garnish. This is the best way to use it - no cooking. This preserves its vitamin C content which helps to build our immunity and bring that sparkle to the skin. The antioxidants vitamin A, vitamin C and the quercetin present in coriander works towards strengthening our immune system. Coriander is a fairly good source of iron and folate – the 2 nutrient which help in the production and maintenance of red blood cells in our blood. Good for reducing cholesterol and good for diabetics. Read 9 benefits of coriander to understand details. 

What's the problem?

1. Sugar : Sugar used in the recipe is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have palak kadhi?

Yes, this recipe is very healthy but the sugar must be removed from the recipe. Diabetics and heart patients can enjoy this. 

Can healthy individuals have palak kadhi?

Yes, all ingredients in this recipe are healthy except for a little sugar used.  Please have this Indian dal on a weekly basis. We love giving and making healthy recipes at tarla dalal.

What to have with palak kadhi?

Always confusing what to pair with a healthy dal. Rice or not. Our call is to look for healthy options. If you are having rice, we say take a very small amount of rice and loads of dal. Rice is high in carbs so watch it. 

We highly recommend having a bajra roti, jowar roti and whole wheat roti to make a healthy combination. Note that when you combine any dal with any cereal ( bajra, jowar, ragi, whole wheat ) then the protein quality is enhanced.

Bajra Roti

Palak kadhi is good for

1. Weight Gain (drop the sugar)

2. Diabetics (drop the sugar)

3. Heart Patients (drop the sugar)

4. Healthy Lifestyle

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss. 

Palak Kadhi is high in

1. Folic Acid : Folic acid is an essential vitamin required throughout pregnancy.

2. Vitamin C :  Vitamin C is a great defence against coughs and colds.

3. Vitamin A : Vitamin A is crucial for healthy vision, cell growth and healthy skin. 

Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

How to burn 61 calories that come from Palak Kadhi?

Walking (6 kmph) = 18 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 6 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 8 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 10 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.