Zaika Mazedaar · North Indian Curries
A spinach-tomato-cashew base blended vivid green, fried eggs folded in, and just one tablespoon of butter to finish — the happy accident that became one of this channel’s most finger-licked dishes.
Anda palak butter masala wasn’t planned. Nazia from Zaika Mazedaar was thinking about a butter paneer-style base, swapped in eggs, then decided that wasn’t different enough — so spinach went into the pot. The result turned into one of the most finger-licked dishes the channel has made, and the honesty of that origin story is exactly why it works: nothing about this recipe feels engineered.
This recipe is demonstrated step-by-step in our video on the Zaika Mazedaar channel, filmed and cooked in a real kitchen — not assembled from recipe databases. If you’ve got a bunch of spinach wilting in the fridge and eggs on hand, this is a genuinely good use for both. Building out your egg-curry repertoire? Our milder, cashew-yogurt Anda Korma recipe is a natural next one to try.
What Is Anda Palak Butter Masala?
Anda palak butter masala (also called butter palak anda masala) is a North Indian egg curry where spinach is cooked directly into the tomato-onion-cashew base and blended smooth, rather than stirred in as a garnish at the end. That single decision changes the dish: the spinach disappears into a vivid green-orange purée, so kids tend to eat it without the usual protest a visible vegetable invites. Medium-boiled eggs are fried briefly, folded into the roasted masala, and the whole thing is finished with just one tablespoon of butter — a flavour enhancer here, not the primary fat, since the cashews in the base already carry most of the richness.
Why This Recipe Works (and How It Differs from Egg Butter Masala)
If you’ve made our classic Egg Butter Masala recipe before, it’s worth being upfront about how this is a genuinely different dish, not a small variation. For a richer, restaurant-style option in the same family, our Mughlai Shahi Egg Curry recipe is worth bookmarking too.
First: the spinach goes into the purée itself. It’s cooked alongside the onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, green chilli, and cashews, then blended together into one fine paste. It is never added at the end as a stirred-in garnish, which is how most spinach-egg curries handle it — and that ordering is the whole reason the spinach vanishes into the gravy instead of sitting on top as visible flecks.
Second: the butter is a finish, not a foundation. Egg Butter Masala leans on a tomato-cashew purée plus a four-tablespoon cream finish for its richness. Here, it’s one tablespoon of butter, full stop — the cashews already blended into the base do the heavy lifting, so the gravy doesn’t need a heavy dairy finish to feel rich.
Third: the colour tells you everything. Egg Butter Masala finishes a deep red-orange from degi mirch and tomato. This one finishes a vivid green-orange — unmistakably different on sight before you’ve tasted either.
Here’s how the two compare side by side:
| Feature | Egg Butter Masala | Anda Palak Butter Masala |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Tomato-onion-cashew purée, no spinach | Spinach + tomato + onion + cashew, cooked and blended together |
| Blending stage | Yes, blended smooth | Yes, blended smooth |
| Butter / cream | 1 tbsp butter + 4 tbsp cream finish | 1 tbsp butter only; cream is an optional garnish swirl |
| Gravy colour | Deep red-orange | Vivid green-orange |
| Sugar | ½ tsp, for restaurant-style flavour rounding | 1 tsp — rounds flavour and offsets spinach’s natural bitterness |
| Coriander stalks | Not a featured ingredient | Core base ingredient, added with the spinach |
| Egg-frying spice timing | Added from the start | Added only after the eggs start to colour |
Ingredients
For the Spinach-Tomato Base
- 1 medium onion, roughly sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes, roughly sliced
- 5–6 garlic cloves
- 1-inch piece ginger
- 1–2 green chillies, or to taste
- 10–12 cashews (kaaju)
- 150g spinach (palak)
- A small handful of coriander stalks (dhaniye ki dandiyaan) — stalks only, not the leaves
For the Eggs
- 5 eggs, boiled — medium-boiled, not hard-boiled
- ¼ cup oil (for frying the eggs and roasting the masala)
- A pinch of turmeric powder
- A pinch of red chilli powder
Dry Spices
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- Red chilli powder, to taste
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- Salt, to taste
- ¼ cup water (rinsed from the blender jar)
For the Finish
- Water, to adjust gravy consistency
- 1 tbsp butter
- Homemade garam masala powder, to taste
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), roasted and crushed
- 1 tsp sugar
- A swirl of fresh cream, optional, for garnish
Ingredient Substitutions
Short on a specific ingredient? Here’s what to swap in — and if you enjoy butter-forward egg dishes generally, our Butter Garlic Egg recipe is a quicker, no-gravy option worth keeping in rotation too.
| Ingredient | Substitute | Effect on Taste / Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Cashews | Soaked blanched almonds, or skip entirely | Cashews add creaminess to the blended base; skipping slightly reduces body |
| Kasuri methi | Fresh fenugreek leaves, used very sparingly | Fresh fenugreek is more bitter — use much less than you would dried |
| 1 tbsp butter | 1 tbsp ghee | Richer, slightly nuttier aroma; a touch less creamy than butter |
| Sugar | A tiny pinch of jaggery | Same bitterness-balancing function, with a slightly earthier sweetness |
| Coriander stalks | Coriander leaves | Stalks give a more concentrated flavour in the cooked base; leaves work better as a garnish than as a base ingredient |
Mise en Place Checklist
Get all of this ready before turning on the flame. The base comes together fast once it starts cooking, and the egg-frying step needs your full attention.
- Onion and tomatoes roughly sliced
- Garlic, ginger, and green chilli ready
- Cashews measured out
- Spinach washed, 150g measured
- Coriander stalks separated from the leaves — leaves set aside for garnish elsewhere, only the stalks go into the base
- 5 eggs boiled — medium-boiled only, not hard-boiled
- Dry spices (coriander powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder) measured into one small bowl
- Kasuri methi roasted and crushed, ready to add at the end
- Butter and sugar measured
- Same kadhai usable for both the base and the egg-frying stage — have it ready on the hob
Step-by-Step Method
Cook the spinach base together
In a pan, combine the sliced onion, sliced tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chilli, cashews, spinach, and coriander stalks. Mix everything together, cover, and cook on medium flame for 7–8 minutes, until the spinach has wilted, the onion has turned transparent, and the tomatoes have gone completely soft and soggy.
Cool and blend into a fine paste
Let the cooked base cool slightly, then transfer it to a grinding jar and blend into a fine paste. You’ll notice the colour at this stage — a vivid green that carries through into the finished gravy.
Fry the eggs — spice after colour, not before
Clean the same kadhai and heat ¼ cup oil. Add the medium-boiled eggs and fry until they just start to pick up a light colour. Only then add a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of red chilli powder. Continue frying until the eggs reach a good golden colour, then remove them from the oil and set aside.
Roast the spinach paste with dry spices
In the same oil the eggs were fried in, add the blended spinach-tomato paste. Mix it well into the oil over medium flame. Add 1 tsp coriander powder, red chilli powder to taste, and ½ tsp cumin powder. Mix the spices into the paste, then add salt to taste and ¼ cup water (rinsed from the grinding jar so nothing goes to waste).
Cover the pan and roast on medium-to-low flame for 10–15 minutes, until the masala turns noticeably thicker, all the excess water has cooked off, and the oil starts to resurface.
Fold in the fried eggs
Once the masala has roasted down and the oil has resurfaced, add the fried eggs back in. Mix gently so the eggs are coated without breaking apart.
Adjust consistency and taste for salt
Add water to reach your preferred gravy consistency — the masala will still be quite thick at this point, so add water gradually until it’s where you want it. Mix well, then taste and adjust the salt at this stage.
Optional: if you’d like a heartier dish, cubed potato can be added during the masala-roasting stage in Step 4, cooked through alongside the spinach paste before the eggs go in.
Finish with butter, garam masala, kasuri methi, and sugar
Add 1 tablespoon butter and homemade garam masala powder. Crush 1 tablespoon of roasted, home-dried kasuri methi between your palms and add it in. Add 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix everything together, cover, and cook for a further 2–4 minutes until the oil separates again.
Garnish and serve
Your anda palak butter masala is ready. Garnish with a swirl of fresh cream if you’d like the restaurant-style finish. Serve hot with white rice, roti, or paratha.
6 Things That Make This Palak Masala Turn Out Right
- Medium-boil the eggs, not hard — they keep cooking later, so a hard boil leaves them dry
- Add turmeric and chilli to the eggs only after colour appears — never from cold oil
- Use coriander stalks in the base, not just the leaves, for a deeper flavour layer
- Cover the pan while roasting the spinach paste — it splatters more than you’d expect
- Don’t skip the sugar — it rounds the flavour and cuts spinach’s natural bitterness
- One tablespoon of butter is enough — the cashews in the blended base already carry the richness
The One Mistake That Ruins This Recipe
Hard-boiling the eggs before frying.
It’s tempting to hard-boil the eggs the way most egg curry recipes assume you will. But these eggs go through two more rounds of heat after boiling — first the frying, then several minutes simmering in the masala. Eggs that start out hard-boiled come out noticeably dry and rubbery by the time the dish is finished. A medium boil, with the yolk not fully set, leaves enough moisture in the egg to survive the rest of the cook.
Boil gently. Stop before the yolk is fully firm. The rest of the process will finish the job. Getting egg-doneness right matters across cuisines, not just this one — our Turkish Eggs Cilbir recipe is a good example of how much a soft yolk changes a dish.
For Beginners
If homemade garam masala isn’t something you have on hand, a good store-bought garam masala powder works fine here — add it a little at a time and taste as you go, since brands vary quite a bit in strength. Don’t worry if your gravy’s green looks slightly different from the video; spinach colour varies with how fresh it is and how long it’s cooked.
For Confident Home Cooks
If you want a heartier version, add cubed potato during the masala-roasting stage (Step 4) — let it cook through in the masala alongside the spinach paste before folding in the eggs. It stretches the dish further and adds a second texture against the soft eggs.
What to Serve Anda Palak Butter Masala With
White rice was the creator’s own pairing for this dish, and it’s a good one — the plain base lets the vivid green-orange gravy do all the talking. Plain or jeera rice both work well, and if you want a heartier rice option built around eggs instead, our Anda Dum Biryani recipe pairs nicely on the side for a bigger spread. Roti is a natural everyday pairing for mopping up the thick gravy, and if you’d rather wrap it up, our Anda Paratha Roll recipe turns leftovers into a handheld lunch.
Because the spinach disappears so completely into the base, this is also a reasonable weeknight option for getting a vegetable-forward meal onto a kid’s plate without an argument.
Storage, Reheating & Make-Ahead
| Situation | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Fridge storage | Up to 2 days in an airtight container |
| Colour after refrigeration | The vivid green can dull somewhat on standing — this is normal for spinach-based gravies and doesn’t affect flavour |
| Freezing | Not recommended — the egg texture turns rubbery on thawing and the blended spinach base can separate |
| Reheating | Gentle reheat on low flame with a splash of water; avoid microwaving on high, which toughens the eggs further |
| Make-ahead strategy | The spinach masala (through Step 4) can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently, then fold in freshly fried eggs and finish with butter, garam masala, kasuri methi, and sugar |
If a shorter weeknight egg dish is what you’re after between make-ahead batches of this one, our Egg Shakshuka recipe comes together in one pan with far less roasting time.
Myth vs. Fact: Does Spinach Make the Eggs Taste Bitter?
Cooking spinach into an egg curry base always leaves a slightly bitter, “green” aftertaste.
Spinach does carry a faint natural bitterness, but this recipe handles it directly: the cashews blended into the base add creaminess that softens it, and the one teaspoon of sugar added at the finish specifically cuts what’s left. Together, those two ingredients are doing real work — not just rounding out flavour in a general sense, but actively counteracting the one thing that makes people hesitant about spinach in a curry. Skip the sugar and you’ll likely notice the difference. If potato-and-egg combinations are more your thing, our Anda Aloo Salan recipe leans fully into that pairing instead of spinach.
Nutrition Snapshot (Estimated per serving)
| Nutrient | Estimated Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~260–300 kcal |
| Protein | ~11–14 g |
| Fat | ~18–22 g |
| Carbohydrates | ~9–12 g |
| Sodium | Varies with salt added |
Figures are estimated and will vary based on exact oil quantity, egg size, and how much butter and cream are used. Spinach contributes meaningful iron and folate, and eggs supply complete protein — a genuinely useful nutritional combination, though these figures are not a substitute for individualised nutritional advice. Spinach nutrient data is available via USDA FoodData Central.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is anda palak butter masala?
Anda palak butter masala is a North Indian egg curry where spinach is cooked directly into a tomato-onion-cashew base and blended smooth, rather than added at the end. Medium-boiled eggs are fried briefly and folded into the roasted masala, which is finished with a tablespoon of butter, kasuri methi, and a touch of sugar. The result is a vivid green-orange gravy with the eggs disappearing into a thick, well-rounded sauce.
How is this different from regular egg butter masala?
Egg butter masala uses a tomato-onion-cashew purée with no spinach, finished with a generous cream pour. This recipe cooks spinach into the base itself before blending, uses only one tablespoon of butter as a finishing touch rather than a primary fat, and relies on one teaspoon of sugar to round the flavour and offset spinach’s natural bitterness. The two dishes look and taste distinctly different — one deep red-orange, the other vivid green-orange.
Why cook the spinach into the base rather than adding it at the end?
Cooking the spinach alongside the onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, and cashews, then blending everything together, means the spinach disappears completely into the gravy rather than appearing as visible leaves or flecks. That’s a big part of why this dish tends to work well with kids who would otherwise pick around a vegetable they can see.
Why are the eggs only medium-boiled, not hard-boiled?
The eggs go through two further rounds of cooking after boiling — frying, then simmering in the masala. If they start out hard-boiled, they end up noticeably dry by the time the dish is finished. A medium boil leaves enough residual moisture in the yolk to survive the rest of the process.
Why add turmeric and red chilli after the eggs start to colour, not from the beginning?
Adding these spices to cold oil at the very start of frying lets them scorch slightly as the eggs continue cooking, which can leave a faintly burnt, bitter taste in the oil. Waiting until the eggs already show some colour before adding the spice avoids this.
What does the sugar do in a spinach curry?
It does two things: it rounds out the overall flavour, the way a small amount of sugar does in many North Indian gravies, and it specifically counteracts the faint natural bitterness spinach can leave behind. Skipping it tends to leave that bitterness more noticeable.
Can I add potato to this recipe?
Yes. Add cubed potato during the masala-roasting stage, letting it cook through in the masala alongside the spinach paste before the eggs go in. It’s a genuine option for a heartier dish if you’d like more bulk relative to the eggs.
How do I keep the spinach colour vivid in the finished dish?
The colour is brightest right after blending and cooking. It can dull somewhat after a day or two in the fridge, which is normal for spinach-based gravies and doesn’t affect the flavour. Serving the same day it’s made, or shortly after, keeps the colour at its most vivid.
Conclusion
Anda palak butter masala started as a random kitchen experiment — a butter paneer idea redirected toward eggs, then redirected again toward spinach when “different enough” wasn’t quite reached. That unplanned origin is the best endorsement it could have: nobody set out to engineer a kid-friendly spinach curry, it just turned out that way once the spinach disappeared into the blended base.
The technique worth remembering is the ordering: spinach cooked into the purée, not stirred in afterward; eggs medium-boiled, not hard; frying spices added after colour, not before; the pan covered while the masala roasts because the splatter is real; and just one tablespoon of butter plus one teaspoon of sugar doing the final work of making it taste restaurant-level.
Forty minutes start to finish, one pan for both the base and the eggs, and a dish that — by the creator’s own account — got finished off the plate faster than most others on the channel. Worth trying the next time spinach is sitting in the fridge with nowhere else to go.
Liked the cashew-blended base here? Our Reshmi Anda Cashew Curry recipe leans even further into that silky, nutty style. And for something scrambled and street-food-casual instead of a proper gravy, our Anda Ghotala recipe is another channel favourite worth trying next.
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