Dal and Palak Soup

Heart warming and healthy, soups are the way to go whether you are following a weight loss regimen or suffering from any malady. Sometimes, it can be just the balmy weather conditions that attract one to a glorious bowlful. And this is one of the easiest soups that I have ever come across.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins


Ingredients -

• a fistful of yellow lentils / toor dal
• 1/2 cup shredded baby spinach
• 2-3 tsp carrot juliennes (optional)
• 1 tsp ginger juliennes
• a dash of pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash the baby spinach, drain and keep aside.

Cooking - Wash the lentil and transfer to a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cup water and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Slightly mash the lentils. Transfer the contents into a saucepan. Add some more warm water to bring it to the desired consistency. Bring to a boil and adjust the salt.

Add the shredded spinach and carrot. Boil for 2-3 mins.

Sprinkle ground pepper and ginger juliennes just before turning off the flame.

Serve hot.

Soya-Palak ki subzi (Soyabean au Palanga tarkari)

Political correctness is a virtue which every public figure should possess. As they are under the scanner every time they try to channelize their inner thoughts, they need to learn how to make it sound good. Else they might end up sounding like Mr Nadella who has finally spoken the 'satya' or the truth about the mindset of the Indian male, which incidentally happens to be one of the most insecure breeds amongst all home sapiens. Indian women are born to obey their fathers (and brothers), then their husband and finally their sons. And that is something we have been doing without raising a voice (even when not-so-stray incidents of domestic violence happen). So, when a Nadella decides to advise them on doing good 'karma', all the collective pent-up frustration of the estrogen clan starts pouring out on the internet. While I am no supporter of the now 'infamous' guy, I would very much prefer that these women take it out on the men in their lives instead. Charity begins at home.

Back to my kitchen. While I prefer cooking soya chunks in a traditional (read typical Odia) curried form, spinach usually ends up being pureed with onion, ginger and garlic. This spinach puree is quite versatile and I keep adding it to paneer, sweet corn, potato and even rice preparations. I also stuff it into sandwiches at times.

But last week I was in a hurry to finish all the vegetables/perishables lying in my fridge before leaving for a weekend trip. I had prepared my favorite soya curry for lunch and some of it was still remaining for dinner. As I cleaned out the fridge, I noticed this bunch still lying untouched. Came up with the plan of improvising my leftover curry with some greens. Hence I combined two of my favorite formulas to come up with this curry.

Read on for the easy and yummy recipe -

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup soya nuggets
• 1 1/2 cup baby spinach (with stems removed)
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 medium sized onion
• 6-7 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 small tomato
• 1 dry red chili
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small bay leaf
• a small bit of a black cardamom
• 1/2 tsp meat masala
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 4 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 2 pinch garam masala

Preparation - Roughly chop onion, ginger and garlic. Transfer to a mixer jar along with the broken red chili and buzz for 1 sec to get a very coarse paste ( you should be able to make out each ingredient ).

Soak the soyabeans in 4-5 cups hot water for half an hour. Remove from hot water and wash under running water. Squeeze out the water and once again wash it under running water. Repeat 2-3 times.

Blanch the spinach ( put in boiling water for 2 mins, remove and immediately transfer to cold water ). Buzz in a mixie jar for 2-3 seconds to obtain a coarse puree.

Cooking - Heat 3 tsp oil in a pressure cooker. Add all the wholes spices and fry for 5-6 secs till they start to give out a fragrance.

Add the onion paste and fry till it turns reddish (use low flame with regular stirring else it will burn). Add the
tomato and cook for 2-3 mins till it softens.

Add the powdered masalas (except garam masala) and salt at this stage and fry for 1 min. Add the soaked (and thoroughly squeezed soya nuggets) along with the diced potato to the cooker. Stir fry on medium flame for 3-4 mins.

Add 2 1/2 - 3 cups hot water, adjust salt, sprinkle garam masala and close the lid of the cooker. Cook for 1-2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from flame and allow to stand aside till steam escapes.

Heat remaining oil in a wok. Add the spinach puree and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the contents of the pressure cooker to the wok. Bring to boil and let it simmer for 2 mins.

Serve hot with white rice, roti or parantha.

Note - One can also skip the whole garam masala and add some powdered garam masala instead.

Spinach and Sweet corn Sandwich

The yucky spinach (as most kids would label it) in a different avatar !!! This is one of those simple sandwiches that are healthy, filling and yummy, all at the same time. They make for a great 4 o'clock snack and taste equally good in the lunch-box.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup shredded spinach leaves 
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 1/2 of a small onion (finely chopped)
• 1/3 tsp GG paste
• 1/3 tsp chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil
• 4-6 tbsp grated cheddar cheese
• 4 slices of bread
• butter 

Preparation - Blanch the spinach and keep aside to stain excess water. Give it a buzz in a food processor to get a coarse textured paste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped onion and fry for 1 minute before adding the GG paste. After 2 mins, add the chili powder, spinach paste, sweet corn and salt. Cook for 3-4 mins. Remove from flame and keep aside.

Layer half of the spinach-sweet corn filling over a bread slice.

Top it with 2-3 tbsp grated cheese and close with another bread slice. Repeat the process with the remaining bread slices and filling.

Heat a sandwich maker/tawa. Brush a little butter on the outer sides of the sandwiches and grill/toast for 2 mins. (Cut into triangles if doing it on a tawa).

Serve hot or cold.

Note - The cheese is optional. One may skip it or even add some crumbled paneer instead.

Palanga Dalma

Odiya folks love their flavorful  Kosala/Leutiya/Khada/Sajanna Sagaa. And with a whole range of greens being available in the local markets around the year, it is hardly a surprise that the humble 'Palak' or palanga sagaa as we call it does not get the respect it deserves. However, with the latter being elevated to the status of a superfood, Odiya folks are trying hard to incorporate it in their menu.

No easy task adjusting to the slight astringency of the Spinach. Unlike the mellow sagaa's that we consume, this one has a overbearing effect on the palate. No wonder most North Indian recipes include generous amounts to ghee to tone down its strong taste. But copious amounts of ghee is a strict no-no in oriya food except for the osa-baras or the fasting days. Hence was born the 'Palanga Dalma', a variant of our 'Buta Dalma'. A nice combination of spinach, vegetables and lentils, this makes for a very nutritious sidedish without the added calories.

My very first post for 2014 had to be something healthy keeping in line with my New Year resolutions. So here it is. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 minutes

Ingredients - 3 cups chopped palanga/spinach, 1 1/2 cup split channa dal, 1 cup cubed pumpkin, 1/2 cup cubed potatoes, 3-4  dry red chillis, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/3 tsp jeera-lanka gunda (roasted cumin chilli powder), 1/5 tsp cinnamon powder/garam masala, 1/3 tsp turmeric, salt to taste.

Preparation - Wash and soak the channa dal for 2 hours.

Cooking - Take the channa dal, pumpkin cubes, potato cubes along with salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker. Cook for 1 whistle on high flame.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped palanga and stir fry till soft. Transfer to the pressure cooker and mix with the cooked dal.

Heat ghee in the wok. Add broken red chilli and cumin seeds. Pour the spluttering mix over the contents of the pressure cooker.

Put the pressure cooker back on medium flame. Add the jeera-lanka gunda and cinnamon powder. Simmer for 2 mins.

Serve hot with rotis/puri/paratha.

Sending this to the event Healthy Vegetarian Side Dishes hosted by Nandoo's Kitchen and Priya's Versatile Recipes .

Palak Paneer ( Cheese in Spinach gravy )

Palak or spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods available to us in abundance and at an economical rate. Along with a high water content and soluble fibre content, it is loaded with vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. It’s a very good source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc and copper. Also it’s a good source of selenium, niacin, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

But since it is loaded with pesticides and fertilizers ( common problem with most leafy vegetables as they grow so near to the soil ), one should prefer the organic version whenever possible. I myself buy the 'Gopalan' brand that is stocked by Bigbasket.com.

I try to keep on incorporating it my diet and often come up with new combinations. But today i am sharing a popular and all time favorite recipe 'Palak Paneer'. Read on :

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 350 gm paneer, 1 bunch of spinach ( 2 1/2 - 3 cups ), 2 medium sized onion, 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1-2 green chillli, 1/2 teaspoon jeera-lanka powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp Fortune Rice Bran oil, butter, salt to taste, turmeric.

Preparation - Cut the paneer into cubes.

Remove the stems from the spinach and chop roughly. Cut the onions into large pieces.


Cooking - Heat water in a pan. Add salt and turmeric and bring to a boil.

Add paneer cubes and boil for 5-6 minutes. Drain water and keep aside.

Boil fresh water in another pan. Add the spinach leaves and boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain the water and wash in cold water. Keep aside to drain off all the water.

Heat oil in a wok. Add half of the chopped onions and fry to translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the green chilli and spinach leaves with salt to taste. Fry for 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to a blender cup, allow to cool down a bit and grind into a smooth paste.


Add some butter to the same wok. Add the remaining onions and fry till translucent. Add the green paste prepared earlier with jeera-lanka powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add paneer cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with pulao rice/basmati rice/rotis.

Corn Palak

This is another recipe i prepared using my favorite 'palak gravy'. As I have already mentioned in my earlier posts, I always stock some of it in the fridge as i find it to be very versatile. This time i paired it with some corn. 

Fresh corn is another ingredient that is always available in my fridge. If nothing else, it always eases my 5 pm hunger pangs. I boil it and season it into one of the combinations like 'Butter-chilli', 'Lemon-chilli', 'Chat masala','butter-garlic', 'Butter-oregano-garlic', ,butter-chilli-lemon, and so on. 

Here is the recipe for some lip smacking corn palak:

Preparation time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 1-1 1/2 cup fresh corn, 3 cups chopped spinach ( palak, use only the tender leaves with stems chopped off ), 1 medium sized onion ( chopped roughly ), 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 green chilli, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/3 tsp chilli powder, 1/3 tsp garam masala (optional), 2 tsp butter, 1 tsp oil, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste. 

Cooking: Boil the corn for 5 mins. Drain water and keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the green chilli and cumin seeds. When seeds start spluttering, add the onion. Fry till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2-3 mins. 

Add the chopped spinach and stir fry on medium to high flame to remove excess water. Remove from wok and keep aside to cool down. Transfer to a blender and blend into a smooth paste.

Heat 2 tsp butter in a wok. Add boiled corn and stir for 2 mins . Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and blanched spinach. Cook for 5 mins.

Garnish with an extra dollop of butter. Serve hot as a side dish with rice/rotis.

Note- Blanch the spinach to retain its natural green color.

Spinach rice

It is a lazy Friday afternoon. The sky is overcast and its very windy outside. I am curled up on the sofa with today's Sudoku. Little one's had his lunch and is now busy with his toys.

Everything seems perfect till the hunger pangs hit me. My toes curl in protest as i get down from the sofa. Damn, i curse the Banglore weather. Its turning me into a couch potato.

Nothing fancy today, just a one pot meal. My mind is made up.I make a quick trip to the Pandora's box ( my fridge as i sometimes call it). So, what evil are we going to unleash today????

As i open the door, this evil looking bunch of spinach stares at me. It looks like its cozying up to my Tupperware bowl ( it contains cooked rice ). Humm...so u guys have a thing for each other. Lets get u married i thought (no dates ?? ....no engagement?? guess i was inspired by the wedding mania that has hit the Saas-Bahusphere (aka, the telly world) in recent times).

I made this quick spinach puree ( as i always do..... if you have been reading my blog ) and popped the rice in a micro for heating.

Once they were togather, the duo looked a little sad. What is missing?? Humm....no wedding is ever complete without the baaratis (guests). Another quick trip to the Pandora's box. A rather sad looking half of a yellow pepper and a ripe juicy tomato were staring at me. I guess they were upset abt not being invited. How did i miss u guys?? In you go.

Things are looking better now. But i miss something. Ahh, its the 'Phoren touch'. Indian weddings are incomplete without foreign liquor and exotic flowers/fruits/vegetables/dancing girls. None of them fit by budget, so i decide to make do with some foreign cheese ( made in india, ofcouse ).

Last dash to the fridge. I get the Parmesan and shower some of it over my happily married couple.
Marriage over...now lets hit the food stalls. Thats what we Indians look forward to at all marriage functions.

Preparation Time : 10-15 mins

Ingredients: cooked rice ( 3 cups ), coarsely chopped spinach ( 1 cup, tightly packed), chopped onion ( 1 small ), ginger ( 1/2 inch long ), garlic flakes ( 10-12 nos ), 1 green chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, tomato ( 1 no, small, chopped ), bell pepper ( one small, chopped ), olive oil ( 2 tsp ), fresh rosemary ( 1/2 tsp), garam masala ( 1/5 tsp ), grated parmesan/plain cheese ( 3/4 cup ), salt to taste.

Preparation: Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the chopped onion followed by the ginger and 4-5 garlic flakes. Fry till translucent. Add spinach and fry for 5 minutes on medium flame till all the water evaporates. Remove and allow to cool down.

Grind the above into a smooth paste along with the grren chilli (if using).

Cooking: Heat a wok. Add 1 tsp oil. Throw in the garlic flakes and saute for 10-15 seconds.
Add the spinach paste and fry for 2 mins. Stir in the cooked rice and mix everything nicely.

Add the bell peppers, tomato and cheese ( add chilli flakes if using ). Mix well and cook for 3-4 mins. Sprinkle rosemary.

Remove from wok and serve hot.

Palak mattar ( yellow peas in spinach gravy )

Preparation time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients - 1/2 cup yellow peas, 1 cup chopped spinach ( palak, use only the tender leaves with stems chopped off ), 1 large sized onion, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 green chilli, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/3 tsp chilli powder, 1/3 tsp garam masala (optional), 2 tsp oil, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste.

Preparation: Bring water to boil in a pan. Add spinach to it for 3 mins. Drain off and fill with cold water.
Drain and squeeze out excess water from spinach. Also kown as blanching, this step retains the green color of spinach.
Chop the onions into small pieces.
Soak the yellow peas overnight. Wash and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Allow the cooker to cool down and drain off the excess water.

Cooking:
Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add 3/4th of the chopped onions and saute them for 2 mins. Put in the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell is gone ( 2-3 mins ). Add the chilli powder, turmeric, half of the garam masala and blanched spinach. Cook for 3 mins.
Allow to cool down. Transfer to a grinder along with a green chilli and 3-4 tbs of water/vegetable stock. Make a smooth paste.
Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add the rest of the chopped onion and fry till translucent. Add the spinach paste and boiled peas. Cook for 5 mins. Sprinkle the garam masala and remove from stove.
Serve as a side dish with rice/rotis.

Hariyali Pasta ( Pasta with green sauce )

Preparation time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup paste, 1 cup chopped spinach ( palak, use only the tender leaves with stems chopped off ), 1 medium sized onion, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 green chilli, 2-3 garlic flakes, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/3 tsp chilli powder, 1/5 tsp garam masala (optional), 2-3 tsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp oil, 1 small cube of butter, inch of turmeric, salt to taste.

Preparation: Bring water to boil in a pan. Add spinach to it for 3 mins. Drain off and fill with cold water.
Drain and squeeze out excess water from spinach. Also known as blanching, this step retains the green color of spinach.
Chop the onions into small pieces. Slit the garlic flakes along their length into thin slices.

Cooking:
For pasta - Heat sufficient water in a pan. When the bubbles start to come, add pasta and salt. Boil till the pasta is cooked yet firm. Drain all the water in a colander and give it a shake to prevent pasta from sticking to each other.

For the sauce - Heat oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add chopped onions and saute them for 2 mins. Put in the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell is gone ( 2-3 mins ). Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and blanched spinach. Cook for 3 mins.
Allow to cool down. Transfer to a grinder along with a green chilli and 3-4 tbs of water/vegetable stock. Make a smooth paste.

Heat the butter in a wok so that it just melts. Throw in the garlic slices and stir them so that they give off their smell. Toss in the pasta and saute for 1-2 mins. Add the sauce along with the ketchup. Allow the sauce to coat all the pasta.

Garnish with chilli flakes or crumbled ricotta cheese if desired.Serve hot .


Note: Cook the pasta a few degrees softer when preparing for kids. Also reduce the chilli content and cut up the cooked pasta into bite size portions. Sending this to