Palak with Moong dal

Ingredients:

Palak (Spinach)  – small bunch, washed and chopped

Split Moong dal (green gram) – 1 handful (soaked for min of 15 mins)

Oil

Mustard seeds

Ginger-garlic-green chili paste

Tomato – 1, chopped into small pieces

Turmeric powder, coriander powder, Garam masala and salt

Instructions:

• ·         Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds
• ·         When it splitters add the ginger-garli-green chili paste – sauté
• ·         When raw smell vanishes add the chopped tomatoes – sauté till it mashes
• ·         Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and garam masala – mix well
• ·         Add soaked moong dal – fry for few mins
• ·         Later add chopped palak, mix well and cook covered for 10 to 15 mins
• ·         The delicious, healthy and easy side dish is ready

Palak Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken – steamed and marinated with curd

Palak – washed, cleaned, chopped, steamed and then pureed when cool

1 Onion – chopped

Ginger garlic paste

1 Tomato – chopped

Kasuri methi / fresh chopped methi leaves

Turmeric powder, Chili powder, Coriander powder, Chicken Masala / Tandoori Masala and Salt

Oil, Mustard and Cumin seeds

Instructions:

• ·         First of all steam the washed chicken in microwave safe bowl with little water, lid covered and at  High for 5 mins
• ·         When its cool add thick curd, turmeric powder and half of the chicken / tandoori masala – marinate chicken for atleast half an hour
• ·         Now heat oil in a saucepan, add mustard and cumin seeds, when it splitters add chopped onion, ginger garlic paste – sauté well till raw smell vanishes
• ·         Now add chopped tomatoes and when its kindof mashed add methi leaves and all masalas with salt
• ·         Mix well and after few mins add the marinated chicken pieces
• ·         Fry well for some time, add little water if required – cover and let the chicken cook
• ·         Atlast add the Palak Puree, water if needed and cover cook for another few mins
• ·         Keep the flame in sim and keep stirring to avoid thick gravy from bubbling up and hurting you
• ·         Keep the gravy thick and serve with Paranthas

Thandan keerai poriyal / Spinach Sabzi

Ingredients:

Thandan Keerai / Spinach – chopped (along with the stem)

Oil, mustard seeds, Curry leaves, Hing

Pearl Onions – sliced

Dry Red Chilies

1 tsp Channa dal

½ tsp Urad dal

Turmeric powder

Salt

Grated Fresh coconut (scrapings) – 1 cup

Instructions:

• ·         Heat oil in a Kadai, add mustard seeds, channa dal and urad dal
• ·         When it lightly turns brownish add chopped onions, curry leaves, red chili and Hing – sauté
• ·         When onion starts turning brown add chopped thandan keerai, turmeric powder and salt – cover and let it cook
• ·         Keep tossing it in between and once its cooked add the coconut scrapings to it, mix well and turn off the burner in few mins
• ·         Serve it with Curd Rice – my favorite combination

Best Palak Paneer Ever (with Microwave)

Ingredients:

Defrosted soft Paneer / Shallow Fried Paneer

Bunch of Palak – cleaned and washed but not chopped

Tomato – chopped

For Masala – Oil, Ginger-garlic paste, Chili powder, Coriander powder, Curry leaves, Chopped onion, green chilies, Kala masala / Garam masala

Milk – half cup

Butter – 1 inch piece

Salt

Steps:

v  In a microwave bowl mix all masala ingredients and microwave High with lid for 3 mins

v  Add washed Spinach and tomato to it along with a quarter cup of water and Microwave High for 5 mins

v  Cool it, puree it and add it again to small bowl along with milk, paneer, adjust salt and spice, add little more garam masala and butter – mix well

v  Microwave Medium High for 4 mins. Let it stand for 2 minutes. You can also give a tadka from above with just mustard seeds before serving.

Carrot-mixed vegetable Sabji

      Today as I was looking in the fridge, thinking what to prepare for dinner I came up with this idea of mixed vegetable. Its mainly because I had leftover single vegetables like 1 carrot, 1 brinjal, few tendli, few Palak leaves, etc., In order to make use of these left over vegetables and also to experiment something new I prepared this sabji.

Ingredients:

Carrot - 1 grated

Palak leaves - chopped into small pieces

Brinjal - 1 chopped into small pieces

Potato - 1 grated

Tendli - 3-4 sliced into round pieces

Onion - 1 chopped

Tomatoes - 4 chopped into small pieces

Mattar / green peas

Ginger-garlic paste

Masala: Turmeric powder, chili powder, Coriander powder, Kala ghoda masala, Salt and Pinch of Garam Masala.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Kadai and add Mustard and Cumin seeds
• When splitters add onion and ginger-garlic paste - mix well
• Add all masalas except garam masala and mix by adding chopped tomatoes
• Let it cook for few minutes in medium flame
• Add all chopped vegetables, saute well and cover the kadai with a plate.
• Add half glass of water on the plate and let it cook in low flame for 5-10 minutes
• After 5-10 minutes mix the sabji and add the hot water from the plate in the sabji.
• Mix again, add pinch of garam masala and let it cook for 5 minutes in medium flame.
• Turn off the flame when its cooked.
• Add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tastes awesome with  roti or chapatis..........

Nutritional value of Palak / Spinach

1) Spinach reduces the risk of eye diseases, like night blindness, itching eyes, eye ulcers, protects the eyes from the harsh effects of UV rays, also lowers the chances of cataract formation and are all beneficial for maintaining overall good eyesight.
2) Controls blood pressure and reduces hyper tension
3) reduces cholesterol level thus reducing heart problems.
4) decreasing the occurrence of gastric ulcers.
5) spinach lowers the cancer risk by 34%
6) Iron in spinach prevents chances of anemia and also burns fat to reduce weight.
7) Advisable for pregnant women for the development of nervous system and lungs of the baby.
8) also reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease and also ails Arthritis.

Mushroom Palak

This was the first dish I prepared with my new Food Processor.

I added washed Mushroom and Palak leaves into the Processor bowl and chopped into small pieces. Kept it aside.

Again in the same processor added Spring onions along with the grass, Garlic cloves, Tomato, Capsicum and Green chillies and chop them all into tiny pieces.

1. Heat oil in a Kadai, add mustard and cumin seeds.
2. When it splitters add the spring onion-tomato mixture and cook it for a while by adding ginger-garlic paste as well.
3. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and mix well.
4. Once the raw smell of ginger garlic paste recedes add the chopped mushroom and palak and let it cook.
5. If required add little water and cook it till done.
6. Add garam masala at the end, mix well and after 2 minutes turn off the burner.
7. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves and serve along with Roti.

Palak Parantha (spinach) - Version 1

Ingredients:

Wheat flour, chopped palak leaves, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander leaves, cumin powder, salt, garam masala, chat powder, black pepper powder.

Make dough with warm water and curd to make soft paranthas.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

Palak - 1 bunch (boiled in water, drained and made into a paste in mixer)

Paneer - 500 g (cubed and slighly fried)

Big Onions - 2

Tomato - 1

Ginger-garlic paste

Chilli powder

Cumin powder

Salt and 

Garam masala

Steps:

1. Add chopped onions, tomato and ginger garlic paste in mixer and make a paste.

2. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds

3. When it splitters add the onion paste, salt, chilli powder, Cumin powder, Garam masala

4. Mix well, when it boils add the palak paste into it and keep stirring for 3-4 mins

5. When its cooked, switch off the burner and add the already fried, golden brown Paneer cubes

The gravy is ready.........!

Hara Bara Kebab

 Ingredients
3-4 medium sized boiled potatoescup of boiled green peas
100 gms spinach
1 tblspn chopped green chillies
2 tblspns chopped green coriander
1 tblspn chopped ginger
1 tspn chaat masala
Salt to taste
2 tblspns cornflour (cornstarch)
Oil for deep-frying

Recipe
Peel and grate boiled potatoes. Mash boiled green peas. Blanch spinach leaves in plenty of salted boiling water, refresh in cold water and squeeze out excess water. Finely chop.

Mix grated potatoes, peas and spinach. Add chopped green chillies, chopped green coriander, chopped ginger, chaat masala and salt. Add cornflour for binding.

Divide the mixture into twenty five equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and then press it in between your palms to give it a flat tikki shape.

Heat oil in a kadai. Deep-fry the tikkis in hot oil for three to four minutes.

Chefs Tips : You may also shallow fry hara bhara kabab on a griddle plate or a tawa. It is recommended that you do not use colour in this recipe. If you feel you may increase the quantity of spinach leaves to give a dark green colour. In that case add a little more cornflour/cornstarch for binding.

                                                   Recipe by Shantanu Agrawal