Methi Thepla

Methi thepla is a common Gurjurati food  made from fresh methi/ fenugreek leaves with some spices and wheat flour. Tastes great and of course good for health.This recipe I got from my friend Rinkle . She makes delicious theplas. 

 Perfect recipe to take with you if you are travelling. Stays good for 2-3 days and goes well with pickle and curd. 

I love to eat it with mango chunda or sweet mango pickle. So friends here is the recipe..

Ingredients:

1 cup  Wheat Flour
1/4th cup gramflour/ besan
1 cup finely chopped Fenugreek Leaves
2-3 tablespoon Curd or you can add buttermilk for kneading the dough
1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin- coriander powder
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 tblsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ajwain/ carrom seeds
2 teaspoons Oil for kneading the dough
oil required for shallow frying
Salt
Water

Directions:

Take a large bowl. Mix wheat flour, gram flour, oil, salt and all the ingredients given above. Add water as needed in small quantities and knead smooth, soft dough.
Cover dough with clean muslin cloth and leave aside for 10-15 minutes.
Now divide the dough it into lemon size round shape balls.


 Take one dough ball, press it in between your palms, coat its all sides with wheat flour. Roll the thepla to a round of about 5-6 inches in diameter. Heat griddle over medium flame and place raw methi thepla on it. When tiny bubbles starts to rise on top surface, flip it over, spread 1/2-teaspoon oil evenly around its surface and cook until light golden brown spots appear on both sides. 
Transfer it to a plate. Follow same process for remaining dough balls and cook them in a similar way.  Hot Methi theplas are ready to serve. Serve them hot with mango pickle or curd.

POI Chingudi

INGREDIENTS:

Chingudi (prawn) - 200 gm (washed & marinate with turmeric powder & salt)
Poi (spinach malabar)-200 gm (washed, cut the poi stems & poi leaves)
2 medium size Potato- cut into cubes
Pumpkin cubes- 200 gm
2 medium size brinjals- cut in cubes & put them in cold water otherwise they will turn black
Ginger garlic paste- 2tblsp
1 large tomato- cut into cubes
1tblsp cumin-coriander powder
1tea spoon turmeric powder
1tsp garam masala powder
2-3 bay leaves
3-4 tbsp. mustard oil.
Salt to taste
Sugar- ½ tsp
1 tsp panch phutana (mix of cumin+ mustard+ nigella+ saunf + fenugreek seeds)
2 medium size onions- chopped

Method:

Heat a pan, Add some mustard oil, Add marinated prawn, fry it till golden brown & keep aside.
Then add 2 tbsp. of the mustard oil in the same pan, add panch phutana when it starts spluttering, add bay leafs. Then add chopped onion. Sauté till translucent. 
Then add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder & stir till raw smell goes away & oil appears in the masala.  Add tomatoes, cumin-coriander powder & salt. Again sauté till tomatoes are done.
Add the veggies (potato, pumpkin, brinjal, poi stems) into it stir for 1-2 min.
Now cover it  & let it cook for 5-7 min. when the veggies are 70% done add the chopped poi leaves. Mix well & again cover with the lid & cook for another 5-7 min. till the veggies are done. 
Then add the fried prawns & mixed it properly & cook it for 2-3 minute. Sprinkle garam masala & then switch off the flame. 
Serve hot with plain  rice & daal.

Palak Paratha

Palak Paratha My all time favorite. It is an Indian flatbread made with wheat flour, ofcourse spinach , some spices & pan fried with ghee/oil. I have add the boiled spinach directly to the flour. You can also grind the spinach & add to the what flour to make the dough. Its very easy to make, healthy & tasty too. U can have it with any curry or raita, or chutney.

Ingredients:

•2 cups Atta/ wheat flour
•Spinach washed & chopped- 2 cups
•1 tsp  ajwain/ cumin seeds
•1/2 tsp red chilli powder
•Salt to taste
•Ghee/ oil to make paratha

Method:

• Boil the spinach for 2 mins. till they cooked . Cool them 
•Take a bowl . Add  ajwain,  red chilli  powder, salt to taste & add wheat flour. Mix well. Add  the spinach and mix all together, Make a smooth dough. Keep the dough aside  for 1 hours.
•Divide the dough into equal-sized portions and Make small balls.
•Roll each ball into a circle of 7-8" diameter (5-6mm thick).
•Heat a griddle .Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle a bit of the remaining ghee on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle ghee on this surface too. 
The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown. Serve hot with any curry or chutney or curd..

Spinach pakoda Kadhi

Kadhi...My all time favorite recipe with hot hot steamed rice...This is a very frequent recipe in my house....I just love to try different type of kadhi recipes...This time I tried something new... I had some spinach in my freeze..so thought of trying something new...then i thought why not palak pakoda with yummy sour kadhi.....& immediately i rushed in to my kitchen gathered all the ingredients & cooked  this yummy healthy kadhi....so friends here is the recipe....

Ingredients:

For pakoda:
Fresh Spinach/  palak -2 cups chopped 
Gram flour- 1 ½ cup
Onion- ½ cup chopped
Grated ginger- 1tblsp
Chopped green chilli- 1tsp
Red chilly powder- 1tsp
Salt as per the taste
Baking pwd/ soda- 1tsp
Ajwain- ½ tsp crushed

For kadhi:
1 cup yogurt
2 tblsp  besan
½ tsp Red chilli powder
Ginger grated 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
2-3 Red chillies
2tblsp oil
½ tsp Cumin/ mustard seeds
haldi a pinch
½ tsp Cumin & coriander powder
Hing a pinch
¼ tsp of fenugreek seeds/ methi
2 cups of water
1 Green chilly- chopped
Curry leaves a few

Method: 

How to make pakoda:

Mix all pakoda ingredients with little bit water & make a thick batter. Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai. Take small amount of batter in hand & drop small small balls in the hot oil to make pakodas.  Deep fry the balls till they turn to golden brown in colour. Drain excess oil on an absorbent paper. 


How to make kadhi:
In a large bowl mix yogurt , besan & grated ginger. Beat well or u can just grind it in a mixer to avoid lumps. 
Heat the pan on medium flame.  Heat oil.  Add red chillies, methi seeds, cumin / mustard seeds. When they will start cracking add chopped green chilles,  haldi, red chilli powder & sauté. Then add the yogurt & gramflour mixture. Add coriander & cumin powder. Cover & Let it boil for 10 -15 min. till the raw smell of gram flour goes.

Add add the palak pakoda to the gravy. Add salt according to your taste. Let it cook for about 5-7 min .


Now the kadhi is ready. Transfer it to bowl.

For seasoning add 1tsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, hing, dry red chilles & curry leaves. Add red chilli powder & pour the seasoning over the kadhi.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Tasty & healthy kadhi is now ready to serve. Goes well with hot steamed rice or paratha.

Palakachi Patal Bhaji (Spinach cooked with Chana dal and peanuts maharastrian style)

I was searching to try this recipe for ages..but finally got this recipe from one of my friend. Today I tried this for lunch & it turned out soo delicious. I m going to make this again & again. This is a popular maharastrian traditional recipe with  delicious combination of palak, peanuts & channa dal....& slightly adding termarind puld, jagerry & goda masala will enhance the flavor....

Ingredients:-


1 bunch spinach (washed & chopped)
1/2 cup chana dal
1/2 cup peanuts
1 medium size onion chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 green chillies chopped
2-3 garlic flakes finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds & cumin seeds
Pinche of hing/ asafoetida
1 tbsp maharastrian Goda Masala
1 tsp grated jaggery (according to your taste)
2 tblsp tamarind juice (according to your taste)
1 tbsps gram flour/ besan
2 tbsps oil
salt tot taste
1 tblsp  fresh coconut grated (optional)
2-3 dry red chillies


Method


Soak Peanuts and Chana dal in water for 1 hour.
Pressure cook spinach, Chana Dal, peanuts along with 1 tsp salt upto 2whistles.
Heat oil a pan. add red chilles, mustard/cumin seeds, after they crackle add asafoetida, chopped onion,green chillies & garlic flakes. Sauté till onion becomes translucent. Then add turmeric powder, goda masala mix well. & then add the besan , stir it till all lumps are gone.
& fry for 1 min.
 Add  the cooked spinach mixture in to it.  Now add tamarind pulp and jaggery ,salt to taste.
 Let the curry boil for another 1-2 min till it reaches to semi thick consistency . Garnish with fresh coconut. 
Serve with Hot roti/Rice/ masale bhat.




Tips: 


Instead of frying the besan u can also add water to the besan to form a paste & add it to the curry for thickness..


u can do additional seasoning to the curry also....take a pan. Add 1tblsp oil. add mustard seeds & curry leaves. Let them splutter. Then pour the tadka to the prepared gravy just before serving ...:)it will give a nice taste to the curry..:)

Tasty & healthy Palak kadi

Ingredients:

Fresh palak 2 cups chopped 

1 cup yogurt

1 tblsp  besan

½ tsp Red chilli powder

Ginger grated 1 tsp

Salt as per taste

2-3 Red chillies

2tblsp oil

½ tsp Cumin seeds

haldi a pinch

½ tsp Cumin & coriander powder

Hing a pinch

¼ tsp of fenugreek seeds/ methi

2 cups of water

1 Green chillie- chopped

Curry leaves a few

Method: 

In a large bowl mix yogurt , besan & grated ginger. Beat well or u can just grind it in a mixer to avoid lumps.

Heat the pan on medium flame.  Heat oil.  Add red chillies, methi seeds, cumin seeds, chopped green chilles, hing, haldi, red chilli powder & sauté.

Then add the yogurt & gramflour mixture. Add coriander & cumin powder. 

Add add the palak to the gravy. Add salt according to your taste. Let it cook for about 10-15 min till the raw smell of gram flour goes & palak becomes soft.

Now the kadi is ready. Transfer it to bowl.

For seasoning add 1tsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, hing, dry red chilles & curry leaves. Add red chilli powder & pour the seasoning over the kadi.

Garnish with coriander leaves. tasty & healthy palak kadi is now ready to serve. Goes well with hot steamed rice or paratha.

Srav's CC-Spring Seasonal Food,

Palanga Saga besara (Palak & vegetables in a mustard gravy)

Another famous recipe of Odisha is saga besara means leafy vegetables with mustard paste. Wow i just love this..This is a very helathy dish goes well with chapatti/ steamed rice. I love palak and often cook with it . This preparation is very simple & healthy. So donot  waste them away in the refrigerator... I had some fresh palak and other vegetables  so decided to make this curry & it turned out well....so friend without much ado lets start the recipe....

Palak- 1 bunch chopped

Potato- 1 medium size cut in cubes

French beans 5-6 nos- cut in 2” long pieces

Cauliflower florets – 1 cup (optional)

radish- 1/2 cup sliced

1-2 small size brinjals/ eggplants - cut in cubes

Badi- 8-10 fried

Tomato- 1 meduim size sliced

Red Onion- 1 medium size sliced

mustard oil/ refined Oil- 2tblsp

Panch phutan- 1 tsp (Mix of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, nigella& fennel seeds )

Dry red chillies- 2 nos

Turmeric powder/ Haldi- ½ tsp

Salt as per the taste

For gravy:

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- ½ tsp

Poppy seeds- 1tsp (Optional)

Garlic cloves- 3 nos

Green chilly- 2 nos

(Grind the above ingredients & make a fine paste)

Method:

  Take a pan. Heat 1tblsp oil.  Add all the vegetables except brinjal, tomatoes & spinach. Shallow fry for 2-3 min. 

 

Then add the previously done mustard paste.

Mix well  sauté of 5-8 sec & immediately add 1 cup of water to the vegetables. (Don’t sauté the masala too much to avoid the bitterness)

Add salt as per the taste & turmeric powder. Cover the pan with a lid. 

 

When the curry will start boiling add the brinjals/ eggplants. Again cover the lid. let the curry boil till all the veggies are cooked. 

 

 

Now remove the lid add the chopped spinach, tomatoes. Mix well. Let the curry cook for another 5 mins till the spinach/palak gets cooked. Add the badi pieces.

 

 

Okaayy...now the gravy part is done will do the seasoning.....

Heat oil in a another pan. Add 1 tblsp of oil. Add dry red chillies & panch phutan. Let it crackle. Then add the red onions. Sauté till it it beomes soft.

Now add the gravy in to the seasoning & mix well. turn off the gas & cover with a lid for 5-10 mins.

 

sending this to Vegan Diet – Only Plant Based hosted by http://sravscc.blogspot.com/

&

Let’s Cook #13 ~ Greens hosted by http://ticklingpalates.blogspot.in

& 

Cooking with Whole Foods – Spinach : Event Announcement hosted by http://cooksjoy.com

&http://kiranjay.blogspot.com

Healthy Diet - Vegetarian Side Dishes hosted by http://vardhiniskitchen.blogspot.com

Srav's CC-Spring Seasonal Food,