Ho to Freeze Spinach
Having spinach puree cubes ready is a great way to add extra nutrition to the kid’s food like chilla (pudla), uttpam, pancake, dhokla, idli, rice, dal, roti, paratha, curry, pasta, spaghetti, etc. It’s also the best way to save the leftover spinach for a later use. If you are making spinach cubes for smoothies, no need to blanch the spinach, just blend the raw spinach to make puree and make the cubes. To make the cubes for curry and other things, blanch the spinach, make the puree, and then freeze in an ice cube tray.
| Ingredients: |
| 1 lb (450gm) Spinach (more or less) |
Directions:
- Clean the spinach by rinsing it in cold water to remove any dirt. Remove any damaged (bruised) leaves.
- Bring 2-3 cups water to a boil in a medium pan or a pot. Add spinach in batches (approx. 2 cups at a time).
- Cook for approx. 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted and turns dark green.
- Remove the wilted spinach from the water using a large slotted spoon.
- Transfer it to a large bowl filled with water and ice. This process will stop the further cooking and help to keep the bright green color.
- Remove it using a slotted spoon. Drain excess water and transfer to the jar of a blender.
- Blend until smooth puree.
- Spinach puree is ready. Transfer the puree to an ice cube tray.
- Freeze it for 8-10 hours. Once the puree is frozen, remove the tray from the freezer and pop the cubes out from it.
- Transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe container or a ziplock bag. Label the container or bag with the date. Spinach puree stays good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator and for up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
Tips and Variations:
- To make the spinach cubes for green smoothies, no need to blanch the spinach. Just blend the clean raw spinach to make puree and then make cubes from that.
- Add some green chilli and ginger while blending the spinach to make spinach puree cubes for paratha, rice, dal, palak paneer, curry, etc.
Taste: Bland taste
Serving Ideas: Use spinach cubes to make palak paneer, palak paratha, aloo palak, or smoothies like strawberry spinach smoothie, blueberry spinach smoothie, etc.