Palak or Spinach Sev is a colorful twist on the classic chickpea sev - crisp, savory, and packed with flavor. I love how the fresh spinach gives it that gorgeous green hue while adding a subtle earthiness to every crunchy bite. Infused with garlic and a gentle kick from green chilies, it's one of those snacks that disappears faster than I can make it. It's quick, gluten-free, and always a hit; whether I'm serving it with chai, adding it to my Diwali faral, or putting out a bowl when friends drop by.
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Sev (or Shev) is that one snack I can never say no to, crispy, crunchy, and full of flavor. From black pepper and garlic to tomato and namkeen, there's a version for every mood. But this homemade Spinach Sev has my heart. It's vibrant, lightly spiced, and so addictive that I have to hide a batch just for myself before it vanishes.
It's a must on our Diwali faral every year, and that pop of bright green adds such a fun twist to the platter, making all the sweets and savories look extra festive.
If you're planning your Diwali spread, don't stop here. Try a few more of my family favorites: Rava Laddu, Chakli, Shankarpali, Karanji, and Poha Chivda. Each one brings its own dose of nostalgia and deliciousness.
Sharing Mom's Recipe
This summer, when my parents were visiting us, I brought them to our local farmers' market that sells seasonal farm-fresh produce. Needless to say, we couldn't help but pick almost everything that was available and ended up buying bags of baby spinach, among other goodies. Back home, everyone joined a debate over tea on how to best use the spinach. Recipes were soon flying across the table, and my son requested something crispy to munch on as he studied for his tests. And a doting grandma that she is, my mother decided to whip up a batch of instant Spinach Sev for him.
The unique combination of earthy spinach flavor and freshly ground spices makes this Spinach Sev a hands-down winner. While spinach sev is not uncommon, I feel my mother's signature recipe is the best as the delectable flavors are truly enhanced by the love with which she makes it. I am super excited to share with you my mother's trademark thick Spinach Sev recipe.
You will need the Sev press for making this dish. Sev press is the same as the Chakli press; you just have to insert a different disc or mold for making the sev. I use the disc with medium-thick holes for making this Spinach sev. I like the Anjali chakli press that I purchased in India. It is available on Amazon in the US. Here is a brass chakli press that looks good, too.
Step-by-step recipe to make Spinach Sev
Step 1: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Blanch spinach for 1 to 2 minutes or until it starts to wilt. Transfer the spinach to an ice bath so it stops cooking. Drain the water completely and squeeze the spinach leaves by tightly pressing them with your hands to discard the remaining water. Blanching allows the spinach to be cooked to a perfect tenderness while retaining the bright green color (photos 1 - 2).
Step 2: Add garlic, green chilies, and carom seeds to the blender jar and blend together. Then add the blanched spinach to make a smooth puree (photos 3 - 4).
Step 3: Transfer the puree to a mixing bowl. Add besan/chickpea flour, salt, and ½ tablespoon of oil to the puree, mix well, and knead to form a soft dough. Note: Depending on the thickness of the puree, you may need more flour. The dough will be soft and sticky. Add the remaining oil that help take out any dough stuck to the bowl or on your hand. Shape the dough into a ball (photos 5 - 8).
Step 4: Keep a frying pan or kadhai on medium heat and heat oil for frying. Take the sev press and insert the sev disc with medium-thick holes. Next, fill up the tube of the sev press with some of the prepared dough, keeping a 1-inch gap at the top. Tightly secure the top lid/handle on the tube (photos 9 - 10).
Step 5: Test the oil for optimum temperature by adding a small piece of dough to the oil, which should rise up gradually in 5 to 10 seconds. If it rises too fast, lower the heat, and if it does not rise in 10 seconds, allow the oil to heat up further.
Carefully, start pumping out the sev in a circular motion directly in the hot oil. I usually do 1 round spiral shape, then stop pumping the press and break the dough by hand so I get one palm-sized circular nest of sev in the oil.
Fry the sev for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Then slowly turn the sev over and continue to fry for another 2 minutes on low heat. Make sure the oil is not overheated and the sev does not burn. Carefully take it out on a paper towel-lined tray. The sev will continue to crisp up as it cools down (photos 11 - 14).
Serving
Serve spinach sev with a hot cup of chai or coffee for a yummy afternoon snack. During Diwali, I love to add it to the festive platter of Diwali treats, perfect as an appetizer for your guests to munch on as they gather around.
How to Store
This appetizing sev is easy to make and can be made ahead of time. It has a long shelf life if stored well in an airtight container. It can stay fresh for up to 3 to 4 weeks if your family doesn't devour it before, that is!
★ Tried this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and let me know, or snap a quick pic and upload it-I love seeing your creations. If you're on Instagram, tag @ministry_of_curry so I can check it out. Your feedback means so much to me and makes all the time I spend perfecting each recipe totally worth it. Thank you!
Recipe
Garlicky Spinach Sev
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 box 5 to 6 ounces of baby spinach
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 to 4 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds
- 1½ cups besan fine gram flour
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Blanch spinach for 1 to 2 minutes or until they start to wilt. Transfer the spinach into an ice bath so it stops cooking. Blanching allows the spinach to be cooked to a perfect tenderness while retaining the bring green color.
- Drain the water completely and squeeze the spinach leaves by tightly pressing them with your hands to discard the remaining water.
- Add garlic, green chilies, and carom seeds to the blender jar and blend together. Then add the blanched spinach to make a smooth puree.
- Transfer the puree to a mixing bowl. Add besan/chickpea flour salt and ½ tablespoon of oil to the puree, mix well and knead to form a soft dough. Note: Depending on the thickness of the puree, you may need more flour. The dough will be soft and sticky. Add the remaining oil that will help take out any dough stuck to the bowl or on your hand and shape the dough into a ball.
- Keep a frying pan or kadhai on medium heat and heat oil for frying.
- Take the sev press and insert the sev disc with medium-thick holes. Next, fill up the tube of the sev press with some of the prepared dough keeping a 1-inch gap at the top. Tightly secure the top lid/handle on the tube.
- Test the oil for optimum temperature by adding a small piece of dough to the oil, which should rise up gradually in 5 to 10 seconds. If it rises up too fast, lower the heat and if it does not rise up in 10 seconds allow the oil to heat up further.
- Carefully, start pumping out the sev in a circular motion directly in the hot oil. I usually do 1 round spiral shape, then stop pumping the press and break the dough by hand so I get one palm-sized circular nest of sev in the oil.
- Fry the sev for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Then slowly turn the sev over and continue to fry for another 2 minutes on low heat. Make sure the oil is not overheated and sev does not burn. Carefully take it out on a paper towel-lined tray. The sev will continue to crisp up as it cools down.Increase the heat for the frying pan back to medium-high and continue pressing another sev spiral and frying. Repeat the process of filling the press, pumping sev, and frying for the remaining dough.
Air Fryer Sev
- To air-fry sev, line the air fryer basket with parchment paper and lightly spray it with oil. Then Make a single layer of sev spiral directly inside the basket.
- Air fry at 330 F for 5 minutes. Open the basket. Spray a little more oil and cook for an additional 4 to 6 minutes checking frequently the last few minutes making sure the sev is not browning. Carefully take the sev out, it will continue to crisp up as it cools down.
Notes
- Make as fine a paste of spinach, garlic, chilies, and carom seeds as possible, so they do not get stuck into the sev disc while pumping out. If using regular spinach, discard the stems as they can get stuck in the sev press.
- Depending on the thickness of the puree, you may need more or less flour. Start with 1 cup and add more as needed. The dough will be soft and sticky.
- Keep oil at medium high when adding the sev. Allow the sev cook for 2 to 3 minutes on one side before turning it over. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side on low heat while making sure the color stays green. Sev will continue to crisp up as it cools down after it has been taken out of the hot oil.
Nutrition
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Rama says
Hi! Looks great. I do not have a press and will not be able to get one in time. Do you think I could roll out the dough into small balls and fry it up? Thanks!
Archana says
Sure you can try. It will probably take longer time
Anonymous says
Today I made this exact recipe. It turned out really good.