Afghan sabzi is a delicious and simple Afghan spinach dish. Not only is it delicious, it is vegan. Afghan food is hearty with savory meats and rice so it is important to have delicious vegetable dishes like sabzi to compliment.
Health benefits of Afghan Sabzi (spinach)
Did you know that spinach is not only delicious but also good for you? Spinach is rich in vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese. It is also a good source of fiber. Afghan sabzi is a great way to get your daily dose of spinach.
I use frozen spinach, and I think lots of other Afghans do too. In fact, I would encourage you to try using frozen spinach because that is the way my mom taught me.
Make Sure You Use enough Oil
In America people frown on using 3/4 Cup of oil when cooking vegetables. But this is not an American dish so don’t try to customize it by skimping on the oil. It’ll make it taste bad. You need the richness of the oil to marry with the delicious spinach flavor to create an authentic sabzi flavor.
How to Serve Afghan Sabzi
Sabzi is usually served as a side dish along with kebab, or khorma, some salata, and some naan and rice. But you could easily make the entire meal vegan.
Skip the kebab and serve with just rice, salata, and some naan. Thrown in some banjan and you have a meal fit for a king or queen.
Print the Recipe Below
As always we make this recipe easy to print and replicate. I suggest you watch the video if you have any questions. Also, leave a comment. I always respond.
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Afghan Sabzi: A Delicious and Simple Vegan Afghan Dish
Description
This Afghan Sabzi (spinach) recipe is super simple and 100% vegan. You can serve this as a side or a main if going meat-free.
Ingredients
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3–4 Lbs Frozen Spinach
2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Cumin/ 1 Tablespoon Coriander
2 1/2 Onions
5 Cloves of Garlic
Instructions
1. First, pour 3/4 Cup of vegetable oil into hot pan.
2. Next, add onions to hot oil.
3. After this, add your garlic after the onions show a little bit of light brown color.
4. Add your frozen spinach next. I prefer to thaw my spinach and let some of the excess water drain off before I cook it. But, it is totally fine to add it frozen it’ll just take longer to cook.
5. Allow the onions and garlic to mix into the spinach.
6. After cooking for a few minutes, add your salt, pepper, and cumin/coriander mixture
7. After cooking for about 5 minutes cover the spinach and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
Okay I must confess I have not made this Y E T because it looks really really good and easy.
Monique, thank you! I think you’ll love it. Even kids like this spinach recipe lol. Strong like Popeye! 🙂
This is the dish that made me discover Afghan Cooks. I once worked in an Afghan/Mediterranean restaurant, and became ADDICTED to Sabzi (and lamb, omg). I’ve tried to make Sabzi several times at home and they don’t end up tasting anything like the sabzi I know… probably because I didn’t realize several other cultures ALSO had Sabzi 🙂 I followed the instructions almost to the T– I had leeks and green onions that needed to be used up (instead of onions), and I put the left over dill (from the garlic yogurt sauce recipe) in as well. Tastes amaazing, exactly what I was looking for! Even better the next day. The oil makes a big difference, and not letting the dish get too dry