Broccoli Palak Masala Recipe | Whole Food Plant Based Recipes

Think broccoli and palak aren't drool worthy? Think again!

Whole Food Plant Based Broccoli Palak Masala Recipe

Course: Course 2: Vegetable Dishes, Side Dish for Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: North Indian Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 People

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Broccoli
1/2 bunch Palak / Spinach
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/4 tsp Clove Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Miso Paste (Healthy Salt Alternative. See Nutrition Science Highlights below)
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 tbsp Cashews
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves Chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop palak / spinach. Cook with minimal water. Once cooked, switch off stove and allow to cool.
2. Chop and cook broccoli separately.
3. Grind cooked palak with turmeric powder, pepper powder, garam masala, clove powder, miso paste, lemon juice, and cashews (preferably soaked overnight or at least for 5 hours)
4. Once broccoli is cooked, mix with palak gravy.
5. Dry roast mustard seeds until they start popping. As soon as they start popping, remove from the vessel into the broccoli palak gravy. It is important to roast them only as little as required. If possible, avoid roasting them altogether.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve fresh!

Nutrition Science Highlights for Whole Food Plant Based Broccoli Palak Masala Recipe

1. Why Miso Paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
2. How to preserve enzymes in cruciferous vegetables? Myrosinase, an important enzyme in cruciferous vegetables such as knol kohl, cauliflower, cabbage, radish, and broccoli, is essential to form sulforaphance, a powerful anti-cancer compound in the body when we consume these vegetables. However, when they are cooked, myrosinase gets deactivated and sulforaphane does not get synthesised. By adding raw or slightly roasted mustard seeds, or a little of any raw cruciferous vegetable to the dish after cooking, we can add myrosinase back into the dish and protect the powerful anti-cancer functions of cruciferous vegetables.