Sautéed Spinach Achaar

Name: Sautéed Spinach Achaar (Paalungo ko Achaar)
Cuisine: Nepali
Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 1 tablespoon mustard oil; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice; ¼ teaspoon salt, or adjust to taste; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder; 1 dried red chili, seeded and broken into several pieces; 1 to 2 large bunches spinach (about 2 pounds), stemmed and well washed; 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Paalungo ko Achaar

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Food and Flavours from Nepal

By Jyoti Pathak

Published 2023

About

This delicious and easy achaar is a simplified adaptation of my mother-in-law’s recipe and one of my favorite side dishes to make in short time. The spinach is quickly steamed, drained, and tempered with spices. This achaar will perk up any meal.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 dried red chili, seeded and broken into several pieces
1 to 2 large bunches

Asia
Nepal
Preserve
Side dish
Gluten-free
Vegan

Method

Heat a small cast-iron skillet over medium heat and toast the sesame seeds and dried red chili, stirring constantly to prevent the seeds from flying all over, until the seeds give off a pleasant aroma and darken, about 2 minutes. Pour into a dry container to halt the toasting. When cool, transfer them to a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, and grind into a fine powder.

Place the was