Borani Esfenaj (Persian Spinach and Yoghurt with Golden Onion)
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and Serious Eats.
Onion fried golden with garlic and turmeric, spinach wilted in the same pan until dry, then cooled and folded into thick yoghurt with lemon zest and juice. Chilled for 2 hours and finished with olive oil.
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Method
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Equipment
- 30 cm frying pan
- tongs
- mixing bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 221 kcal |
| Protein | 8.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.3 g |
| of which sugars | 4.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 17.1 g |
| of which saturates | 3.5 g |
| Fibre | 2.7 g |
| Salt | 0.96 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.9 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Spinach
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped about 150 g
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 340 g baby spinach
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Yoghurt
- 250 g thick Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp plain yoghurt or water, to loosen
- ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
To finish
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, to finish
- 1
Fry the onion. Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat and fry the onion for 6-8 min until golden brown. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic for 2 min, then stir in the turmeric for 30 seconds.
- 2
Wilt the spinach. Raise the heat to medium, add half the spinach and toss with tongs until it collapses, then add the rest with the salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 min until wilted and the pan is dry. Tip into the bowl and leave to cool completely.
- 3
Combine. Stir in the Greek yoghurt, the loosening yoghurt, lemon zest and juice. Taste and add more lemon if you like. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours so the flavours settle.
- 4
Serve. Stir, spread in a shallow dish and drizzle with olive oil.
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
