Allergens in Kaapa: mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 500g, washed and roughly chopped Spinach
- 3 tbsp Besanthe thickener. No cream or dairy goes into kaapa
- 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 8 cloves, crushed Garlic
- 1 tbsp, finely chopped Ginger
- 3, slit Green Chilli
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seedswhole seeds, not kasuri methi
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetidause compounded-free hing to keep this gluten-free
- 2, broken Dried Red Chillioptional
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 400ml Water
- to taste Salt
- 1/2, juiced Lemonoptional
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai, blender
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Wash the spinach in three changes of water. Hill spinach comes in gritty and grit in kaapa is unforgiveable.
- Whisk the besan into 200ml cold water until completely smooth before you start cooking, and leave it aside. Lumps will not come out later.
- Blanch and blend the spinach only if you want it smooth; many Garhwali homes leave it coarse and chopped.
Method
- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 90 seconds, drain and plunge into cold water to fix the colour.Ninety seconds, no more. Overcooked spinach goes olive and dull.
- Squeeze out the excess water and either chop it fine or pulse it briefly in a blender to a coarse puree.
- Heat the mustard oil until it smokes, cut the flame for a minute, then crackle the cumin and fenugreek seeds for 20 seconds.Fenugreek turns bitter quickly. The moment it reddens, move on.
- Add the hing, red chillies, garlic, ginger and green chillies and fry 2 minutes until the garlic is golden.
- Stir in the turmeric and coriander powder, then pour in the smooth besan slurry, whisking continuously.
- Cook the besan mixture on a low flame for 6-8 minutes until it thickens and stops smelling of raw flour.Raw besan is the single most common fault in kaapa. Give it the full 8 minutes.
- Add the spinach, the remaining 200ml water and salt. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes until it is thick enough to hold a ridge from the spoon.
- Finish with the lemon juice off the heat and serve with hot rice.
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat gently with a splash of water; the colour dulls on day two but the flavour improves.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Kaapa (246 g) is about 187 calories, or 77 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 7 g a serving, 15% of the calories
| Per serving246 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 187 kcal | 77 kcal |
| Protein | 7.0 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.4 g | 6 g |
| of which sugars | 2.1 g | 1 g |
| Fibre | 4.7 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 12.2 g | 5 g |
| of which saturated | 1.4 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 9.5 g | 4 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for asafoetida. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Healthy Indian recipes · Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Pahari recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.