Palak Rice

Its been a while since i tried anything new ..more because summer is here and I prefer to have just poha and loads of watermelon for dindin. I bought a couple of bunches of palak yesterday with the thought of making palak dal with rice but ended up making palak rice instead :) There obviously is a reason behind it ... I have put on a few inches around my waist and some how think eating rice and dal wud make me put on more than"Variety" rice as it seems to be lesser to eat :P( rice and dal and porial and papad and pickle and a second helping :P) .. As long as the nutrition goes in, I will cook in any form :) so here is how you can make this yummy and simple "Palak Rice" yourself...

These are what you will need :

Rice - cooked - 2 cups

Spinach/ Palak - chopped -4 cups

Onion - chopped - 1

Ginger & Garlic paste -2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

That looks a lot but sure is easy once you start cooking.. This is how you make it :

• Cook the rice and keep it separately
• Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions, ginger and garlic
• Once the onions are cooked and light brown, add all powders except garam masala and pepper and stir well
• Add the chopped palak and mix well and leave to cook covered and on low flame for 3-5 minutes
• Palak will have given out water and at this stage, add the water and the cooked rice, garam masala and pepper and mix well
• Keep on flame for another 3 minutes and turn off heat and we're done ! :)

Goes great with curd / papad / pickle or coconut chutney .

Aloo Palak Sabji ( Potato Spinach Curry)

Ingredients

• 3 Potatoes peeled and cubed
• 2 cups spinach ,washed and juliennes
• 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 tspn Jeera
• 1 tspn Haldi
• 1 tbsp of any type of Masala's (garam masala, all spice masala or any home made masala's)
• 1 tbsp oil for frying
• Salt according to taste

Method

1. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, add Jeera, Ginger Garlic paste and Haldi
2. Then add chopped Spinach ,fry till the rawness is done or spinach seems done partially usually about a minute or 2
3. Add cubed Potatoes, mix well with Spinach add salt and sprinkle a little water
4. When Potatoes are cooked add Masala, Mix well and remove from heat

Serve hot with Roti's, Puhlka or even with Rice :)

SAAG (sai bhaji)

Ingredients :

1 ladle oil
1/4 tsp haldi
1/2 tsp chilli pwd
1/2 tsp dhaniya pwd
3 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch palak (chopped n washed just before use)
1/2 cup channa dal (soaked for an hour n washed)
4 tomatoes (chopped)
3-4 green chillies (chopped)
3 to 31/2 cups water
a few strands coriander leaves
salt to taste

Method:

Take oil in a cooker n put the onions in it. Add garlic, n saute it till the onions are a little cooked. Now simmer the gas and add half of the washed palak. Add the channa dal n the remaining palak. Add tomatoes, coriander, green chillies, haldi, salt, dhania n water. Close the cooker n cook till 3-4 whistles. Cook on sim for 10 - 15 mins. Open the cooker after some time. Mash the mixture till most of the dal gets crushed n there r no individual palak leaves visible. Tastes best with plain rice or chapatti aloo ki subzi :)