Palak Cheela (Instant Palak Dosa, Spinach Wraps)

After enjoying the yellow Carrot Wraps and the crimson Beet Wraps, the third successful colour and flavour experiment was the green spinach wraps. I had my worries that the spinach taste would be too strong, but I was wrong. The taste is mild and wonderfully balanced by the other ingredients.

I made these the same day I made the beet wraps, different batters, same cooking method. I wanted to use fresh spinach, but my blender wouldn't have turned it into the smooth paste I needed, so I opted instead for a quick steaming. I will detail below how I prepared the batter, for the cooking method please see my previous post for beet wraps. The important thing to keep in mind is to use medium-low heat in order to prevent browning and to keep the wraps moist and pliable.

Palak Cheela (Instant Palak Dosa, Spinach Wraps)
Makes 9

• 1 cup besan (chickpea flour, gram flour), sifted
• 1/4 cup rice flour (the powder type, not the slightly grainy one) - or replace with more besan
• 1 tsp salt (I use Himalayan)
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder

• 1 Tb + 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 cup spinach purée (about 110 g fresh spinach leaves, steamed, blended with 1/2 cup (125 ml) water)
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) water

• 1/4 cup oil for cooking (I use sunflower oil)

Note: 1 cup = 250 ml. I use a 16.5 cm/6.5'' pan. If you use a larger pan and wish to make large cheelas, simply increase the amount of batter for each.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

Pour some water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile wash and drain the spinach. Place your steamer on top (or an enamel colander with a matching lid, that's what I used), add the spinach leaves, cover and steam for no more than 3 minutes, by which time the leaves will become soft and dark green.

Carefully transfer the spinach to a blender and add the 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth. Add the spinach purée, the grated ginger and garlic and the other 1/2 cup water to the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon.

Cook the cheelas following the same instructions as for Beet Cheela.

For a bit of heat add finely chopped green chilis and play around with the spices to suit your taste.

Keep the cheelas covered as you make them, so they remain soft and moist.

If you would like to introduce some healthy foods into kids' diet but worry they might not like them, say in smoothies, juices or salads, then try these colourful wraps - yellow, pink/red and green. Make rolls using their favourite spreads and vegetables (tomato, cucumber, shredded cabbage, sliced olives etc.) and cut them into bite-sized pieces, mixing the colours on the serving plate. Give them the freedom to choose and they will try all of them. Make sure you don't overstuff the wraps, they are delicate and can break if applying too much pressure.

Still within the green theme, I have previously shared the recipe for Zucchini Dosa (Cheela).

Enjoy and spread the magic!:)


If you've tried these wraps I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you!