Palak Paneer

Rujuta Diwekar,in her book 'Don't lose your mind, lose your weight' suggests to add a milk product like paneer to your dinner which gives you a needed dose of tryptophan( an amino acid which helps to induce sleep). When consumed with a whole grain like wheat, jowar, bajra or nachni will lead to a restful sleep.
I made palak-paneer with chapati for today's dinner.

Ingredients
1 cup palak puree*
1-2 green chilies
2 garlic cloves
5-6 paneer cubes(if frozen soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes)

salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
*1 bunch of palak/spinach ( take only leaves and stems,if tender)

Blanching- Boil 4-5 cups of water with a tsp of salt. Add washed spinach leaves with tender stems in it. Let the leaves be in it  for a minute. Transfer the leaves in a pan with 2-3cups of tap water. After a minute drain all the water and blend the leaves with green chilies and garlic cloves  in a blender to make a palak puree.


Tempering
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)

Method

• Heat ghee in a kadhai and add cumin seeds. As it crackles add chopped garlic. 
• Add spinach puree. Add some water to adjust the consistency. 
• Add paneer cubes and bring it to boil. 
• Add salt and sugar to taste.

Patichya kandyachi peeth perun bhaji

                                                                

A veggie of spring onion

In taste it is mild. It can also be used raw in salads. To make a dry veggie gram or chickpea flour is used whereas to make it slightly moist, soaked bengal gram /chana dal is used.

Ingredients
4-5 spring onions
chickpea flour as required( approx. 2-3 tsp for this)
1/2-1 tsp chili powder
salt & sugar(optional) to taste


 Tempering
1-2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder


Method

• Remove the dry skin on the onions if any. Cut the root part. Wash the leaves and pat dry.
• Separate the leaves part from the onion with knife.
• Chop the onions and leaves separately.
• Heat the oil in the kadhai. Add the tempering ingredients. As the mustard seeds stop crackling add chopped onions and then chopped leaves and cover. keep the flame low.
• After a minute take off the cover and mix well. Add chili powder, salt and  a pinch of sugar if you like. Stir well. Sprinkle chickpea flour with a spoon in parts. Mix and then add another spoon to get the idea of the quantity required to determine the dryness of the veggie.
• Cover with lid  for a minute to blend the veggie.Switch off the gas.
  
  Note
  This veggie requires a tsp of oil more than the regular one as there is no water added in it. Moisture is only from the onion.The quantity of the chickpea flour should be optimum so that the veggie does not become too dry.
  
  same method is used to make methichi(fenugreek leaves) peeth peroon bhajee
  

Methi Mutter with paneer

The sunday was a little busy as I was totally occupied with my school reunion. This all made up my day and I just gave up a thought of doing anything in the evening.The teachers' who taught us, Sanju's batatvada, the Pratharna(Prayer), Buva's shop at the corner  where we spent the entire 'madhali sutti' eating badishep,tamarind, gooseberry, raw mango......I was thoroughly enjoying the journey to the flashback....Three cheers for BALMOHAN!!!

I came home and was finding it difficult to come out of that nostalgia &  could not do the grocery shopping. So Monday morning was experimented with some methi leaves, some green peas and frozen paneer which was there in my refrigerator.

    

Here's how I made it....

Ingredients
  1/2 cup chopped methi leaves
  1/2 cup greenpeas
  6-8 paneer cubes
  1/2 tsp garam masala
  1/2 cupcurd

Make  a Paste
7-8  cashew nuts (soak in warm water for 20-30 minutes)
1/2 cup onion
1 greenchili
salt and sugar to taste


Tempering
1tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Garnishing
1-2 tsp kasoori methi

Method

• Wash fenugreek leaves. Chop the leaves. Chop the onion.
• Boil a cup of water and dip the paneer slice in it for 10 minutes.
• Make a fine paste of onion,green chili,soaked cashewnuts.
• Heat oil in akadhai and add cumin seeds. As they crackle add chopped onion. Add salt.Fry till light brown.
• Add chopped fenugreek leaves and green peas.Add 1/2 cup warm water and let it cook.
• Add onion-cashew nut paste. add 1/2 cup warm water. Beat the curd with a spoon and mix in on low flame.
• Add salt and sugar to taste
• Cut the paneer into cubes and add in the gravy.
• Dry roast kasoori methi and crush with hands and sprinkle over the gravy.

MayaLoo DaLi Aambat

MayaLoo(malabar spinach) with DaL
Typical of leaf vegetables, MayaLoo/Malabar spinach is high in vitamin A,Vitamin C,iron and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, but high in protein per calorie.

Ingredients
15-20 leaves of mayaLoo/malabar spinach
1/4 cup toor DaL/pigeon pea/arhar ki dal
1/2 cup chopped onion
jaggery & salt as per taste

To be roasted in oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-2 dry red chilies

To be ground
Roasted masala
2 tsp grated coconut


Tempering
1 tsp oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion


Method

• Wash dal. Wash and cut leaves of mayaLoo/malabar spinach. Pressure cook dal, mayaLoo and chopped onion with 1/2 cup of water.
• Roast coriander seeds, red chili and turmeric in little oil. Grind it with coconut to a fine paste.
• Mix the paste, salt and jaggery with the cooked vegetable-dal mixture. Stir and mix well.
• Heat the mixture and bring it to boil.
• Heat oil in an iron spoon(paLi)/kadai and fry onion till light brown and dip it in the gravy. Cover with lid.
• Serve with rice or chapati.

Dal-Palak

Daal-palak-methi Bhaji
   (spinach with mixed lentils)

Green leafy vegetables contain lot of iron and eating them is good cure for the problem of constipation.
 I try to include them twice a week either for lunch or dinner. Combining it with lentils (proteins) and eating with rice (carbs) completes the daily dose.

Ingredients
1 bunch of spinach
5-6 sticks of methi leaves/fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup each of
toor/tuvar/arhar ,
moog/moong/yellow split peas,
masoor/red lentils
chana dal/bengal gram
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 green chilies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds powder or crushed cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1 tsp grated coconut (optional)
 salt and jaggery to taste.



Tempering
2 tsp oil
4-5 garlic cloves(crushed)

Garnishing
1 tsp ghee/clarified butter


Method

• Clean spinach and sort it. Take leaves  along with tender stems. otherwise take only leaves.
• Wash it in salty water. Wash methi leaves also.
• Drain the water and cut the spinach and methi. (don't cut too fine)
• Cut onion
• Wash all dal/lentils in a container and add a cup of water. Keep cut spinach and methi on it. Add chopped onion, green chilies(slit) and turmeric powder. Keep the container in a pressure cooker and cook it normally.
• When cooked in the same container add all powder masalas and tamarind paste. Add salt and jagerry (optional) to taste.
• In an iron ladle heat oil and add crushed garlic.Let it get fried a little(do not overdo it). Dip the ladle in spinach container. Take the ladle out and cover the pan.
• Serve with a spoon of ghee on the top along with steamed rice or chapati

Note

When spinach is cooked it shrinks to approx. 1/4 th. Lentils or rice when cooked get  nearly doubled. Keeping that in mind the proportion of both is adjusted.
You can replace methi with kasoori methi (add it at the end by slightly roasting it)
Addition of paneer cubes/green peas/ground nuts will enhance the taste.