Chana palak/ chick peas with spinach gravy

Hello all! Today's dish comprises of protein plus iron with chickpeas and spinach. Both rich in nutrients and this dish is made many ways. I chose to use spinach gravy for this. Years back when I was still a new bride and yet learning basics of cooking, I saw a programme on tv which showed how to cook chickpeas with spinach and I copied the whole thing by looking at the recipe but being a novice I doubled the quantity of masalas/spices making it too spicy to eat but still it was yummy. I did not attempt it again till yesterday when I recalled this dish. This time I kept the spice level in control and result was wow. It is so easy that even bachelors and novices can also cook this dish in jiffy.
Ingredients:

• 200gms chickpeas/chana
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 onion
• 1 tomato
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 3-4 green chillies
• a small pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 1 small piece of  cinnamon stick/dalchini
• 2-3 cloves/laung
• 1 small tejpatta
• 1tbsp red chilli powder
• 1tbsp coriander powder
• 1tbsp garam masala powder
• 1tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2tbsp oil or ghee

Method:
Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain and boil them with little bit of salt. Keep aside. Chop the spinach, blanch and make puree out of it.  To get more taste I grated onion, tomato, garlic and ginger separately. In a pan heat oil, add cumin seeds, once it splutters add chopped green chillies. Add cloves, cinnamon stick, tej patta and saute it. Add hing and then add grated onions. Saute the onions but do not let them brown too much. Add grated ginger and garlic and saute till raw smell goes. Just be careful not to burn them. Finally add grated tomato and stir. Once oil separates, add boiled chana and little water. Cook for few minutes and then add spinach puree. Stir and add  the remaining masalas. Adjust the consistency of gravy. Watch out for salt as chana already had some salt. Once the gravy is cooked, serve it with garnish of your choice. I added onion rings on top. Chana palak can go very well with rice, chapati or pooris.

Hope you liked this dish.

Note: In place of spinach puree you can add chopped spinach and let it cook till it softens. 

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Methi chaman (paneer in methi gravy)

Hello friends! My today's dish is methi chaman and simply put its paneer in lots of methi gravy. Looking at pics all would think that it is same as palak paneer but trust me it is not. The taste and flavour changes. Some days back I was clearing some stuff in my cupboard when I found this recipe which I had noted down some years back and totally forgot about it. Now being a food blogger I need to come up with new dishes for my home as well as my blog.  Lets begin now.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup paneer cubed ( cottage cheese)
• 1 1/2 cup palak/spinach chopped
• 1 cup methi/fenugreek leaves chopped
• 2tbsp kasoori methi (dry methi leaves)
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2tsp garam masala powder
• 1tbsp oil
• 1tbsp butter
• 1tsp sugar
• 3tbsp fresh cream
• salt to taste

Method:

Blanch palak and methi leaves together for 5 mins and keep it aside. Once it cools drain out excess water and blend it into paste. 
In a pan heat oil and butter. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Then add onion and saute it. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies chopped to this.

Add the spinach paste we made before and one tbsp of kasoori methi. Mix well and add sugar, garam masala,coriander powder and salt to it. Cook it for roughly two mins.

Now add water to get required consistency for the gravy. Add  half of cream now and mix it. Add paneer pieces when gravy has reached the desired level. 

Methi chaman is ready. Garnish it with  remaining cream and kasuri methis and serve it hot with roti or poori or even rice.

Hope you enjoyed this..

Do not forget to join my event and give away.

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Peas Palak rice..

Hello friends! My today's recipe is again very easy and simple,yet delicious version.of palak rice with peas.. Unusual combo perhaps, but when I made it, it was wonderful and yummy and yet so simple. Hmm let me not keep you waiting and show you how I made this.

Ingredients:

• 250gms  rice
• 1 bunch spinach chopped
• 1 cup boiled peas
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli chopped
• juice of one lemon
• 1tbsp oil
• 1 onion chopped
• salt to taste

Method:

Boil rice with salt and keep it aside. In a pan heat oil, add jeera and let it crackle for a min. Add onion and saute till they are translucent. Add green chilli and chopped spinach and stir it lightly. It should remain bit crispy. Add peas and little salt as the rice already has salt.  Mix well. Add lemon juice and mix again lightly. Finally add boiled rice and mix  slowly and lightly. Take care not to mash the rice or break it. Peas palak rice is ready to serve with raita. 

For us, it turned into new dish and I have kept masalas to bare minimum but you can adjust the spice level if you wish. For cranky eaters this turns out to be real delight.

Hope you enjoyed this dish and over to you for your lovely comments. 

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Healthy Green Roti with spinach

Hello everyone! How have you all been? My today’s recipe Is again a simple yet delicious and healthy roti. Everyone knows the benefits of  greens in our diet, so I won’t start the lecture on it again and I think time for  everyone to be popeye the sailor man again. Ha ha ha… 

Lets begin our spinach roti.

Ingredients: 

1cup chopped greens(  I have used spinach leaves, methi leaves, dill leaves and along with it one more green called khatta)

2green chillies

¼ inch ginger

¼ tsp each of coriander powder, amchur(drymango) powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Some coriander leaves

2tbsp ghee

Water as needed

Wheat flour for rotis

Method:

Chop all the greens and keep in one cup, chop ginger and green chillies into small pieces. In a bowl, put wheat flour and all greens. Mix it nicely without water, add  salt and other dry masalas including chillies, ginger and green chillies, add ghee also, mix properly and add water slowly to make a nice tight dough. 

Make atta like this.

Heat tawa.  Make balls from wheat flour a size bigger than lemons, roll it and cook it on tawa on both sides till its done, if needed  brush a little oil or ghee for it to cook properly,  keep the flame on medium heat.

Take out on plate and serve it hot with chutneys, tomato sauce or even dahi, you can have it as it is also.

In my home I make this for breakfast but at times when I am not in mood for elaborate dinner I make this as light dinner.  I have used ghee and oil a lot. You can skip the part of extra ghee or oil when you cook.

Hope you like this green, green roti with all leafy vegetables. Let me know what you think.

  Green palak roti is ready to be eaten.

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