Borani Esfenaj (Persian Spinach and Yoghurt Dip)
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and Serious Eats.
Spinach wilted with golden fried onion, garlic and turmeric, cooked dry, then folded into Greek yoghurt with lemon and chilled; served with olive oil and mint.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Brown the onion. Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat and cook the onion for 6-8 min, stirring, until golden brown. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the garlic for 2 min, then the turmeric for 30 seconds.
- 2
Wilt the spinach. Add half the spinach and toss with tongs over medium heat until wilted, then add the rest with 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Cook for 3-5 min until wilted and all the liquid has evaporated, so the dip will not turn watery. Tip into the bowl and cool to room temperature.
- 3
Combine. Stir in the Greek yoghurt, plain yoghurt, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining salt, thinning with a little more plain yoghurt if it is very thick.
- 4
Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24. Stir, spoon into the serving bowl, drizzle with oil and top with mint leaves. Serve with flatbread.
Storage
Refrigerate covered up to 3 days. Stir before serving. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 4.7 g protein per 100 kcal, about 19% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low sugars: 3 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 111 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0.1 g per serving
0.2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0.4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 30 cm frying pan
- tongs
- mixing bowl
- serving bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 129 kcal |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 7.1 g |
| of which sugars | 3.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 9.2 g |
| of which saturates | 2.1 g |
| Fibre | 1.8 g |
| Salt | 1.13 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
