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Hamli

A sautéed spinach stew seasoned with onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and broth, garnished with cilantro.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Turmeric and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,698 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Hamli

Time10–15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the spice base

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat.

  2. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté until it becomes translucent.

  3. Stir in the minced garlic, grated ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix well to coat the onions with the spices.

Cook the spinach

  1. Add the chopped spinach to the saucepan and stir to combine it with the spice mixture.

  2. Cover the saucepan and let the spinach cook for about 10–15 minutes, or until it wilts down and becomes tender. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.

  3. Pour in the vegetable broth or water, and continue cooking the stew for another 5–10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.

  4. Adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.

Finish and serve

  1. Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

  2. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro or parsley.

  3. Serve hot as a side dish, accompanied by injera or rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

210Calories
4 gProtein
15 gFat
18 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 14 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Coriandernot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Turmeric + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,698 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Ginger + turmerictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,776 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Onion
Softens as it cooks, becoming sweet and forming the aromatic base of the stew.
Spinach
Main vegetable that wilts down and releases its moisture to form the stew's body.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens as it cooks in the oil.
Olive oil
Carries the spices' fat-soluble flavor compounds and helps sauté the onions.
Turmeric
Contributes earthy flavor and the stew's golden color.
Cayenne pepper
Adds heat that builds through the stew, adjustable to taste.

The step that matters

Cooking the spinach until fully wilted and tender. Spinach is mostly water, so it releases liquid and shrinks dramatically. Cooking it covered until tender softens its fibers and lets the spices meld into the stew. Stopping early leaves a raw, grassy taste and a watery texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, clove, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander):

  1. Eggplantfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, clove, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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