Borani Esfenaj (Persian Spinach and Yoghurt Dip)

Name: Borani Esfenaj (Persian Spinach and Yoghurt Dip)
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 400g fresh spinach; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tbsp olive oil; 300g full fat Greek yoghurt; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp dried mint; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper

Wilted spinach and sweet fried garlic folded into thick yoghurt, finished with a mint oil. Lovely with warm flatbread.

Time20 min
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.89 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 servings

Ingredients

Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.

400 gfresh spinach
2garlic clovesfinely chopped
2 tbspolive oil
300 gfull fat Greek yoghurt
1 tbsplemon juice
1 tspdried mint
½ tspsalt
¼ tspblack pepper

Method

1
Wash the spinach and pack it into a large pan with just the water clinging to the leaves. Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes until wilted.
3 min
2
Tip into a sieve, cool for a few minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop finely.
3
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan and cook the garlic for 1 minute until soft and pale gold. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes to dry it out.
3 min
4
Cool for 5 minutes, then stir into the yoghurt with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Spoon into a shallow bowl.
5
Warm the remaining oil with the mint for 20 seconds until it smells fragrant, then drizzle over the top. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.