Keerai Masial (Tempered Spinach Puree)

Like most new Mom's, I worry myself silly over what goes into my nearly 4 year old's tummy. I try sneaking in things, I know, he will not eat if presented to him on a silver platter, these are the things every Mommy knows are 'good' for her baby. I get so mad that I have to put junk in his lunch box, just so he'll eat and not go hungry in school and later curse myself for being a weakling and letting him have his way with 'fun food'. 

So the meals he eats at home are ones which are sneaky 'good'. So sue me!  

Strange, how these things come back at ya. I can see where this will lead to in a few years when Little S is not so little and goes to school and demands his version of 'good food', like his Mommy did, years and years and years ago. I can see myself pulling at my graying hair, trying to  give my son a good ( my version) food and getting flippant answers, that I voiced, long ago. Oh!Aitch!

All these wicked thoughts of a childhood spent in wickedness is coming to get me, attack me and I run off to the stores and grab packs of Spinach, fresh Fenugreek leaves and anything I can , come home arms weighed down by all the greens and stuff feeling virtuous.

I turned to Chandra Padmanabhan's Dakshin for this simple and quick preparation. Works well on weekends when you do not want to slave over a stove or even on busy week nights when you want something quick before you flop into bed. Either way, you will go to bed feeling good about serving this iron rich Keerai Masial to your family!

You need:
1/2 Cup or  4 Tbsp split Green Gram daal (Moong beans, split and yellow in this case)
1 Cup Water
2 bunches Spinach leaves (the original recipe calls for Amaranth leaves)
Salt to taste
For Tempering:
2 tsp Ghee
1 tsp. Mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Black Gram Daal  (urad daal) 
1 Red Chilli pepper halved
1/2 tsp Asafetida powder


Rinse the moong daal and cook it in the pressure cooker (2 whistles). The original recipe recommends cooking this daal on the stove top - that is not my cup of tea, I am not that patient. Do not drain any excess water.


Wash thoroughly and finely chop the Spinach (or Amaranth) . Lightly boil or steam, taking care that the leaves do not lose their color. Blend to a puree. Set aside


Add salt to the cooked daal. mix well and reheat.


Heat the ghee in a heavy frying pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad daal, halved red chilli and asafetida powder.
When the mustard splutters, add the tempering to the mashed  greens, mix with the cooked lentils and heat through  gently.
Serve hot with rice.

Peace out and enjoy the weekend, folks!

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Palak Methi Mudda Bhaji from Karnataka

My Parents are here!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!
Meeting them after 1 1/2 year was a treat!!! I spent the first week talking, non-stop, at all odd hours of the day/ night (like 4:00 am on the first day of their arrival) and on a volume that threatened to shatter the window panes !! Thankfully the battery ran low after the first week and now I am back to (as) normal as I can get! Their ear drums are safe and my Father sighs with relief! He confesses himself astounded at my capacity and energy to talk SO much (this is after regularly talking to them on the phone for at least 30-45 mins everyday 'to plan' their trip here).

This was also an excellent opportunity for me to pamper them a little with all the food I want to cook for them. And they in turn also wanted to do the same for me!! All in all we are having a wonderful time together!!!
My Mother had this opportunity to make one of my favorites last night, thanks to the fresh bunch of Methi/ Fenugreek I found in the Indian stores! The very sight of that fresh bunch sitting on the shelf was enough to make me pounce on it and grab it, sadly just one was available... well, something is better than ajibaat (ajibaat is a Marathi word for absolutely) nothing...

My Mother learnt this version from her Mother-in-law, who was a fantastic cook and Ma is tickled pink at the thought of having this humble recipe on the blog and wondering why I did not think of it myself.. I have made this before but it is something so routine for me... shrug... but now that I think about it, this combination is wonderful, healthy and deserves its place on the blog.

The root of this recipe is in Karnataka ( Bijapur), the simplicity and the lack of overwhelming 'masalas' is the magic of this recipe.

It goes well with chapati, bhakri and rice (heck I even eat it with whole wheat bread!)

So without further ado, here's my Ma's first presentation on my blog:

2 Bunches Palak / Spinach
1 Bunch Fresh Methi/ Fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup Cooked Moong/ Toovar (arhar) Daal
2 Heaped tbsp. Besan
Marble sized ball of Tamarind (soaked and pulp removed)
Jaggery (twice the quantity of the Tamarind)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil
2 cups water

For the Tadka (tempering)
2-3 tbsp. oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4 cloves of Garlic, sliced
4 dry Red Chilies
1 -2 Green Chilies ( sliced lengthwise)(+ / - to taste or how hot the chili is)
1/2 tsp Turmeric
a few curry leaves (if you can get them)

Do the prep.Wash thoroughly and chop the spinach and fenugreek leaves (use only leaves if you wish to avoid the slightly bitter taste fenugreek tends to impart, otherwise a small stalk is OK. Cook the daal and mash it slightly. soak the tamarind in warm water, squeeze out the pulp and discard the solids ( you can also use ready made tamarind pulp)
Heat 1 tbs. oil in a wok / kadhai, add the chopped spinach and fenugreek, cover and let it cook.Once the greens are thoroughly cooked, mash them slightly and add the Besan, mix well to avoid lumps. Add in the cooked daal, Tamarind pulp, Jaggery and salt. Add about 2 cups of water and let the mixture cook well.
Tadka: Heat Oil, add the mustard seeds, after they pop add the sliced garlic and cook till they turn golden . Add the green and red chilli pieces. Lastly add the turmeric. Pour this over the vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly and cook for 2 mins. to incorporate the flavor of the tempering.
Serve hot with chapati, bhakri, rice.

*Points to note:

• Usually Toovar (arhar) Daal is used, but since it is acidic in nature, Yellow Moong Daal makes an excellent substitute without compromising on the taste.
• This vegetable is semi solid in consistency. After cooling down it becomes slightly solid so you might want to add extra water if re-heating.
  

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P is for PALAK PURI

Here I am .. in time this time too ! for 'P' of Indian Veges @ Nupur's One Hot Stove !!

Every once in a while I go and pig out on oily stuff! Oh Stuff those 'too much fat' 'too many calories' talk.. The bounce off me easily!!

I like to keep in shape.. the nice round shape I am in!

So to treat myself I made puri! with a slight change.. I made Palak Puri! Happily enough I had just this half bunch of spinach in the fridge... fat lot of good that was for making Alu Palak.... wouldn't feed a chicken.. but then... do chicken feed on palak!!??!! hmm...

Anyway... so Palak Puri it was!!

This deep fried goody holds a special place in every body's heart (or so I imagine). We always had Puri on a festival day (Ganesh Utsav, Diwali or when we had guests over for dinner) which was eaten with plain potato vegetable (maybe I'll post this later!!) or with a sweet, like Basundi.. heavenly!!

Or Mum would make masala puri when I had my school picnic, which was an instant hit and the first item to be cleaned up!

For the Puri, I basically used approximates.

~2cups Wheat Flour (Atta)

1/2 bunch of Palak / Spinach

2 tsp Farina/ rava / Sooji

1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

4-5 sprigs Cilantro

1/2 Serrano Chilly (just to give it a hint of heat)

Water to bind to a dough

Blanch the Spinach and Drain the excess water

Grind spinach, chilly, cilantro to a paste

Mix the paste in the Flour, add the Farina, Salt (the farina makes them crisp)

Bind to a dough (should be stiffer than the normal Roti Dough)

Cover and keep aside for 15 mins

In the meantime, heat oil in a kadhai/ wok

Take small marble size and roll it to a puri

Deep fry in oil.

I served the puri with Alu subzi, and Beet Raita (canned beet (1 tin), chopped into cubes and mixed with plain yogurt, salt and 1/2 tsp of MDH~Raita Mix)

The puris taste great as they are, without any accompaniment, so personally i enjoyed them with Raita and as they are.

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JFI GREENS - Methi Parathas in a hurry! and Daal Palak with Parathas.

This is a late post (methi parathas) .. I wanted to send it in for Nupur's A-Z of Veges... but things have been a bit hectic for me. Couple of weeks ago, I landed a full time job.. and I am still kinda getting the rythym of things. Apart from that my laptop is giving me a lot of trouble so I was off this track a bit..

I guess this entry can now go in for JFI GREENS along with another one I had planned.

Methi seeds have their own special place in our kitchens and are used for tempering in daals, dahi kadhi as well as in many vegetables, pickles and curries. As widely as it is used in the kitchen this herb has its use in the medicinal world too. Methi seeds soaked overnight and ground to a paste can be applied to hair to get rid of dandruff and is also a good conditioner. People suffering from arthritis and diabetes also benefit from consuming Methi

Methi has a bitter taste and a strong characteristic smell, that was the one reason my Mother used to be careful in just picking leaves off the stalk. In CA,I do substitute Kasuri Methi (dried methi leaves) for lack of fresh, inviting looking methi . Kasuri methi too has the same strong characteristic smell of fresh methi (if not stronger!). The only annoying thing is sometimes getting a bit of a hard stalk in the mouth... but that is not much of an issue!!

Coming to blogging.... though I am enjoying everything at office enormously, I do miss blogging the most! I have a bunch of pictures ready, but I haven't uploaded them to the laptop! Now that I am a bit strained for time (at least until I set a routine), I am also looking at 'quick fix' meals to carry in the lunch box for me and M. For one such quick fix, I made Methi Parathas. these are very flavorful and can be eaten by themselves with or without any accompaniment.... a bit of mango pickle is always welcome, though!!

For this version of Methi Paratha I have used Kasuri Methi. The taste was not compromised on at all, but if you have fresh, tender leaves... USE 'EM!!

1 cup Wheat Flour
1 tbsp. Besan
1 tbsp. Rice Flour
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tbsp. Ginger - Garlic Paste
2 Green chillies minced (or if you prefer , grind them with the ginger-garlic)
1 bunch Methi Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil / ghee

Wash and chop the methi leaves (not necessary if using kasuri methi)
Mix the wheat flour, besan and rice flour
Add the turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, green chilly, salt, methi leaves
Bind into a dough.
Cover and keep for 15 mins..
Roll out parathas
Heat a griddle and roast the parathas drizzling oil / ghee around the corners (or use oil spray)
Serve with pickle / yogurt

My second entry is DAAL PALAK and Paratha

My motive in making daal palak was simple... daal and vegetable rolled into one! What with work and home (dishes... laundry, clearing the humongous mess) and a whopper of a migraine attack, I felt a bit overwhelmed and after shoving tablets down the throat and crankily croaking at the husband about how, now was the time for all good men to come to the aid ... rally around dear!! .. I behaved sort of like one expiring all over the carpet...

Later , revived and almost as fresh as a daisy, I steam-rolled in to the kitchen to appease the growing and gnawing hunger pangs.

I largely modelled my Daal Palak on Asha's recipe. The outcome was a delightful accompaniment to rice and parathas. But the mistake I made (and lesson learnt!) was in not using a lot more spinach! I had just one bunch of Spinach and I thought that would do! Well, there is always the next time!I also used normal Tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. Forgot to add the sugar.... nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier... the end result was delightful!



For the Parathas

2 cups wheat flour

2-3 pinches salt

Water

Oil

Ghee / Butter

Combine the flour and salt, add enought water to make a smooth dough.

Make equal portions of the dough.

Take one portion, roll out to a thick roti, apply oil on the inside and fold over, forming a semi-circle. Brush with oil and fold again, now forming a triangle.

Dust with wheat flour and roll in to a triangle (keeping it a little thick)

Shallow fry (I use the word 'fry' because I sed a tad more butter when roasting htese parathas) on a hot griddle, until brown spots appear on the paratha and it puffs up.

Serve with daal palak

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