Palak Lasooni ( Spinach Garlic Gravy)

Hi all, its the holiday season and my part of the world gets cold during this season. We had some light snow so then what happens when you have a handful of ingredients and need to make a side for Rotis. You come up with this recipe which was a big hit with the family. It was very easy to make and the best part, very healthy because of the ingredients. Perfect dish to make for kids. Here it goes

PALAK LASOONI (SPINACH GARLIC GRAVY)

INGREDIENTS

GRAVY

Spinach : 1 Cup (Blanched in water for 2 minutes and drop it in ice water to retain color)

Garlic : 1 Pod

Onion: 1 Medium finely chopped

Ginger: 1 small piece

Green Chillies: 1-2

Bay Leaf: 1

Cinnamon Stick: 2 medium pieces

Cardamom Pods: 1

Fenugreek leaves/Kasoori Methi: 1 Tsp

Jeera : 1 Tsp

Heavy Cream: 2 Tbsp

Cashews: 8-10

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 Tsp

Cumin-Coriander Powder: 1 Tsp

Garam Masala: 1 Tsp

Salt as required

Unsalted butter: 2 Tbsp

TADKA

Red Chillies: 2 

Kasoori Methi: 1 Tsp

Garlic Pods: 2-3 cut into halves

                                            

Palak Lasooni

MAKING

Grind the blanched spinach with garlic, ginger and green chillies into a nice paste and set aside. In a pan, add butter, once clarified add Jeera, Bay leaf, Cinnamon sticks, Kasoori Methi leaves and cardamon pod and saute for a minute or two. Now add the chopped onion and saute until it turns golden brown. To this, add the spinach paste and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes before adding in the spices ( Turmeric, Cumin-coriander, Garam masala and salt). Cook for a few minutes until the gravy starts thickening.

Grind Cashews and the heavy cream to a nice semi liquid paste. 

Add this to the spinach gravy and cook in low flame for a couple of minutes in low.

Switch off the gas. For tadka, melt butter. Once clarified add the garlic pods, red chillies and Kasoori methi leaves. Once the garlic pods are fried and golden add the tadka to the gravy.

Delicious Palak Lasooni is ready. Serve it hot with rotis or Naans or Paratha's or eat it mixed with plain white rice.

TIPS/VARIATIONS

I took out the Bay leaves, cardamom pod and cinnamon stick after saute so it doesn't stick in your mouth when eating. Some esp kids dont prefer that.

Grinding cashews in heavy cream gives it a creamy texture and also healthy for kids who dont prefer to eat cashews otherwise.

You can also add lemon to the gravy but I did not use it.

ALOO PAALAK

Hi all, am back with a new recipe. This one is very simple to make and needs ingredients which we normally use to make sabji for Roti's. So here it goes

ALOO PAALAK

INGREDIENTS

ALOO/POTATO: 1-2
PAALAK/SPINACH: 2-3 CUPS  BLANCHED AND GROUND INTO A PASTE
ONION : 1 BIG OR 2 SMALL CHOPPED
TOMATO; 1 BIG CHOPPED
GINGER: 1 TBSP CHOPPED
GARLIC: 1 TBSP CHOPPED
CORIANDER SEEDS: 1 TSP
RED CHILLI: 3-4
CASHEW NUTS: 10-15 SOAKED FOR 15 MINUTESS
JEERA: 1 TSP
GARAM MASALA: 1 TSP
SALT AS REQUIRED
OIL/GHEE : 1 TBSP

ALOO PAALAK

MAKING

First of all, blanch the spinach in boiling water and grind into a fine paste. Next Boil the potatoes and keep it aside. Grind the chopped Onion, Chopped Tomato, Ginger, Garlic, Red Chilli, Coriander seeds, Jeera and soaked Cashews and grind it into a paste with required salt.

In a pan, heat Ghee and add the masala gravy paste mentioned above and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the raw smell is gone. Next add the Boiled potatoes and again cook for a couple of minutes, add the Spinach and salt, allow it to cook for a couple more minutes until the whole mix is blended well with the Masala. Finally, add a Tsp of Garam Masala, and a blob of butter right at the very end before serving.

TIPS/VARIATIONS

Either cook the potatoes before hand or add the chopped raw Potatoes after cooking the masala raw paste until the raw smell is gone. Add water and cook until the potatoes are soft and cooked.









 

PALAK-GAAJAR MASALA

Hi All,

Thank you all for the wonderful and encouraging response to my blog, really appreciate it. So, decided to make Chapathi's the other day and you know, its always a struggle to come up with different Side- dishes for it frequently. In an utter indecisive state, thought of making a side dish that I had seen on TV. This side dish comes from the state of Uttar Pradesh. The interesting thing about the dish is the making because its different and you will see that when you read the making instructions. So, here it goes. I have decided to name it

PALAK-GAAJAR MASALA

INGREDIENTS

ONIONS: 1
TOMATO PUREE : 1/2 CUP OR 1/2 TOMATO
PALAK/SPINACH : 1/2 CUP (BLANCHED)
CARROT: 1/2 CUP (BOILED)
PEAS: 1/2 CUP (BOILED)
BAY LEAF: 1
CARDAMOM : 2
DHANIA POWDER/CORIANDER POWDER: 1 TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP
SALT AS REQUIRED
GHEE : 2 TBSP
FRESH CREAM : 2 TBSP



Palak-Gaajar Masala

MAKING

Firstly, Boil the Onions in water and grind into a nice paste. Also boil all the vegetables and keep them aside. Take a pan, add 2 tbsp Ghee, bay leaf, and cardamom.When its hot, add the onion paste and stir them until you see the oil separating and to take out the raw smell of the onions. Now, add some Chilli powder and Dhania powder and stir for a a few seconds before adding the tomato puree/tomato and again cook them until the oil separates from the pan. Add salt and  finally add the boiled/blanched vegetables and cook till the veggies have blended well with the rest of the gravy. Garnish it with fresh cream and serve hot with rotis/naan's. Trust me, its delicious.

VARIATIONS: You can also add vegetables like corn/beans if you want. You can blanch the spinach by cooking it in hot water and making it soft.Not too much as spinach cooks fast so just until it becomes soft. The dish would be milder and not so high on the spicy side. Do try it.