Spinach Paruppu usli

I give spinach to my girls everyday. So I have think something or the other to make them eat spinach. I make spinach curry, spinach with dhall, spinach kootu etc. This is the recipe I followed to make spinach usli.

Ingredients:-

1. Spinach - 1 cup (1/2 box of frozen spinach)
2. Channa dhall - 1/2 cup (small cup)
3. Toor dhall - 1/4 cup (small)
4. Urad dhall - 1 tbsp
5. Red chillies - 2 (acc to taste)
6. Salt to taste
7. Turmeric powder
   

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 3 tsp
2. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Curry leaves

First soak channa dhall, urad dhall, toor dhall and redchillies in water for half an hour. Thaw the spinach (if you are using frozen box) and cook it for 5 to 6 mts. Drain the water and keep it aside. When the dhall is ready after soaking for 30 mts. grind it coarsely. Add a little more water to the dhall, add turmeric powder and steam cook it for 15 mts. It may take 15 mts for the dhall to cook. When it is fully cook, scramble it and keep it aside.

Take a pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add urad dhall, asafoetida powder and curry leaves and fry it till golden brown. Now add the scrambled dhall to it and fry it for a minute or two. Add the cooked spinach to it and mix it well. Add salt now and mix every thing well and let it on top of the stove for another 3 minutes. Serve it hot. This can be eaten as side dish or as a main dish with white rice.

Palak Paneer

I am not an expert in making north Indian dishes. But I like to give a try. This is something my MIL told me over phone and I tried yesterday. It came out well. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Palak Spinach - 1 cup ( I used a box of frozen spinach)
2. Paneer - 10 to 15 small cubes (acc to your taste)
3. Tomato - 1
4. Onion -1/2
5. Garlic - 1 clove
6. Green chillies - 3 (acc to taste)
7. Ginger - a small piece
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Asafoetida powder - a pinch (optional)
11. Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
12. Oil - 1 tsp
13. Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp (preferably more)
14. Whole milk - 6 ounce (or sweet cream ; can also use half & half)
15. Rice flour - 1 tsp ( mix it with 3 tbsp water and keep it aside)
    

Now thaw the frozen spinach and keep it aside. Chop onion, tomato, garlic, green chillies and ginger. Take a pan, add 1 tsp oil (can also use ghee) and fry the paneer pieces to golden brown. Keep it aside. In the same pan, add the chopped ingredients and saute until it becomes tender and a nice aroma comes. Let it cool. Now take a blender, grind spinach and the fried ingredients to a smooth paste. Preheat the pan, add butter, asafoetida powder and cumin seeds, when it crackles, add the grounded paste. Add a little water, turmeric powder and salt and let it cook for 5 mts. Now add the whole milk, rice flour mixture and mix it well. Let it cook for another 5 to 7 mts. Now add the fried paneer pieces to it. Add little more water if necessary and let it cook together for another 3 mts. When everything mixes together, serve it hot with soft rotis or chapathis.

This Palak Paneer recipe goes to BSI event, this 95th week - BSI - Paneer, hosting by Ruchika.

Bagalabath - curd rice

I always like to eat seasoned curd rice. My mom used to make this every weekend. I learned this recipe from my MIL. I made puliyogare, coconut rice and this curd rice on saturday for aadi perukku. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Rice - 2 cups
2. Fat free yogurt - 3
3. Fat free sour cream - 1 tbsp
   
4. Hot water - 1/4 cup
5. Fat free buttermilk - 1 small cup
   
6. Shredded cucumber - 3 tbsp
7. shredded carrot - 3 tbsp
8. shredded ginger - 2 tsp
9. Green chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
10. Raisins - 1 tsp
11. Grapes - 10 or 15 ( cut it into half )
    
12. Salt to taste

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Cashew - 1 tbsp
4. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
5. curry leaves - few

First pressure cook rice adding 6 cups of water. When the pressure is released, open the cooker and mash the rice, if necessary add the hot water and mash it. Add the above said, yogurt, buttermilk, cucumber, carrot, green chillies, ginger, salt, grapes, and sour cream and mix everything well. Add water if necessary to adjust the consistency of the rice. It should be creamy. Take a pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds when it splutters add cashew, asafoetida powder and curry leaves and raisins and fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of the rice. Mix it well. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Enjoy the rice with more molaga (curd chilly).