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Palak Tofu – for gut diversity!

September 16, 2024

Lauren Glucina

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I'm Lauren Glucina, experienced naturopath, medical herbalist and nutritionist, whose love language is...herbs!

I have a passion for helping professional women navigate chronic stress, exhaustion, nervous system dysregulation and the ensuing hormonal imbalances, so they can thrive in business and in life.

I'm based in Auckland, New Zealand, and am one half of the holistic clinic Herb + Chi. Glad to have you here!

BNatMed, AdDipNutMed, BCS

About Lauren

Nourish your gut with this Palak Tofu recipe! Packed with over 20 plant-based ingredients, it’s a delicious way to boost gut microbiome diversity and promote better digestive health.

Bowl of vivid green palak tofu next a to a bowl of cumin rice, on a marble surface with a blue linen and gold spoon.

One of the keys to good gut health is diversity—having a wide variety of microorganisms in the gut microbiota is strongly linked to overall health and well-being.

The best way to foster this diversity is through a diverse diet. A simple goal to aim for is including 30+ different plant foods in your diet each week.

This might sound daunting, but a tip I share with my clients is to choose one dish to make from scratch each week when you have the time. Use it as an opportunity to pack in as many whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, seeds and spices as possible.

Soups and curries, like this Palak Tofu, are perfect for this. For example, this recipe alone includes over 20 different plant-based ingredients (and yes, spices count!).

This dish is a spinach-based curry with tofu, perfectly spiced and served with a fragrant cumin rice.

The flavours are to die for – enjoy!

🌿 Palak Tofu: The Recipe

  • 300g tofu, regular, not silken
  • 400g spinach leaves
  • 1 large tomato
  • 2 shallots
  • 1 inch knob of ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 green serrano chilli
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons  cashews
  • 2 tablespoons EVOO
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon carom seeds
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves
  • 2 tablespoons coconut cream
  • Water
  1. Rinse spinach leaves, allow to dry. Wrap tofu in paper towels and gently press to remove excess moisture, cube and set aside. Finely dice tomato and shallots. Peel and mince the ginger and garlic. Slice the green chili.
  2. Heat one tablespoon EVOO in a fry pan, add green chili, red pepper flakes, cashews, toast for a few minutes. Add handfuls of spinach at a time until all has wilted down. Use tongs to transfer mixture to a blender – add ¼ cup water and whiz until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In the same pan, medium heat, add the remaining oil, cumin and carom seeds. Cook 45 seconds. Add onions and salt, cook until softened, add garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant.
  4. Add diced tomatoes, garam masala, fenugreek and ¾ cup of water, then allow to stew for up to 8 minutes, until about 80% of the liquid has reduced and the tomatoes are mushy.
  5. Add blended spinach mixture and coconut cream, stir to combine, then add tofu cubes and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat and serve on cumin rice.

🧂 Tip – taste test the curry before serving, the right amount of salt really transforms the dish!

Two photographs side by side, on the left is a bowl of palak tofu, the right is cumin-scented rice.

🍚 Cumin Rice: The Recipe

  • 1 ½ cups white basmati rice
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1x 2-inch stick of cinnamon
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 2 teaspoons ghee/EVOO
  • 3 cups water
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
  1. Rinse rice under running water then set aside.
  2. Heat ghee/oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add all spices, and allow to sizzle for about a minute, taking care not to burn the cumin seeds.
  3. Add rice, stir to coat, add water, bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 10-15 minutes until water has absorbed.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

🌾 Did you know that cooked and cooled rice contains more resistant starch than freshly cooked rice? Resistant starch acts as a prebiotic, selectively nourishing beneficial gut microbes, which in turn produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs offer both local and systemic benefits, including nourishing colonic cells, reducing inflammation, promoting mucin production, and supporting gut lining integrity—helping to prevent “leaky gut.”

A bowl of spinach and tofu curry on a marble surface with text over the top of the image that simply reads 'Palak Tofu'.

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The information provided in this blog is for your personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. It should not be considered as medical or professional advice. We recommend you consult with a GP or other healthcare professional before taking or omitting to take any action based on this blog. While the author uses best endeavours to provide accurate and true content, the author makes no guarantees or promises and assumes no liability regarding the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information presented. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this blog are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this blog is done at your own risk. 

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Palak Tofu – for gut diversity!

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hey there!

I'm Lauren Glucina, experienced naturopath, medical herbalist and nutritionist, whose love language is...herbs!

I have a passion for helping professional women navigate chronic stress, exhaustion, nervous system dysregulation and the ensuing hormonal imbalances, so they can thrive in business and in life.

I'm based in Auckland, New Zealand, and am one half of the holistic clinic Herb + Chi. Glad to have you here!

BNatMed, AdDipNutMed, BCS


About Lauren

Meet the author

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