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Indian

Kafuli

Vegetarian

A thick, comforting Uttarakhandi curry of slow-cooked spinach (often with fenugreek greens), thickened with a little rice paste and tempered with cumin and garlic.

Kafuli is an Indian curry, ready in about 40 minutes and made with spinach and rice flour. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
120

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the spinach (opens in a new tab) with 150 ml of the water until wilted. Cool slightly and blend coarsely — kafuli should have some texture.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk the rice flour (opens in a new tab) into the remaining water until smooth.

    • 1 min
    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a heavy pan (an iron kadhai is traditional). Add the cumin (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab), then the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger and green chillies, and fry until the garlic is golden.

    • 3 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the turmeric (opens in a new tab) and coriander, then the spinach (opens in a new tab) purée and salt. Cook for 5 minutes.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

  5. Step 5

    Pour in the rice-flour slurry, stirring, and simmer until thickened and no raw taste remains. Stir in yoghurt (opens in a new tab) off the heat if using.

    • 10 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Garhwal, Uttarakhand, Uttarakhand, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
earthy, garlicky, savoury, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Spinach · Rice flour · Ghee · Cumin · Garlic · Fresh ginger
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee, yogurt
  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

120 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 249 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 35%
  • Fat 52%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy120 kcal48 kcal
Protein4.4 g1.8 g
Carbohydrate11.3 g4.5 g
Net carbohydrate7.9 g3.2 g
Sugars0.8 g0.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.4 g1.4 g
Fat7.5 g3 g
Saturated fat4.3 g1.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol17 mg7 mg
Sodium686 mg275 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
762 mg
Calcium
152 mg
Iron
4.2 mg
Magnesium
110 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
645 µg
Vitamin C
44 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
244 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: yogurt.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): asafoetida.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cooking in an iron pan darkens the colour slightly, which is how many Garhwali families like it.

Common mistakes

  • Blending the greens to a smooth purée — kafuli should keep some texture.
  • Adding the rice slurry without stirring, which makes lumps.

Serve with

  • Serve with steamed rice or mandua (finger millet) rotis.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat with a splash of water, stirring.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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