Palaaku Annam / Spinach Rice for CCC

Hello Guys...

I am finally back in the food blogging world and hopefully will remain here (atleast for some time). We are settled in our new apartment with the usual hiccups now and then. I've been cooking lately and have been enjoying doing so. Especially when the food is appreciated and the dish is emptied.

One such dish is Spinach Rice. A simple rice dish which my mother and aunt eat when they fast. They make it with vegetables and avoid the onion, ginger and garlic.

Since we make it as a non fasting meal, they tweaked the recipe and told me this. Both my older and younger son like it. Its healthy, filling and easy to make. Only thing is, I used less spinach when I made this. Next time, I'll use double the quantity of spinach I used this time. I can foresee myself making this very often.

Ingredients

4 bunches  Spinach - washed well and chopped
1 cup Rice - washed and soaked in water for about 30 mins
1 Onion - chopped
2 Green Chilli - slit length wise
1 Tomato - chopped
8 to 10 Peppercorns - can be used whole or crushed
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Garlic Paste
2 tbsp Oil
1.5 cups water

Method

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Once its hot, add the Cumin Seeds and let them crackle.
2. Now add the Onions and Green Chilli and fry till the onions are translucent.
3. Add the Ginger and Garlic Pastes and fry till the raw smell goes.
4. Now add the Tomatoes and Peppercorns and cook till the tomatoes are soft.
5. Add the Spinach and fry till it starts to wilt.
6. Then add the rice and fry for 5 mins.
7. Now add the 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil.
8. Then mix well, cover and cook for 1 whistle.
9. Serve hot with Raita or on its own.

Note: I used Sona Masoori Rice. If using Basmati Rice, you might have to increase the water to 2 cups.

This joins the May Week 3 Cooking from Cookbook Challenge Group.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Spinach

What fabulous weather we've been having for the past 5 days. Bright sun, clear skies, temperatures touching 25^oC (77^oF). Its very unusual for March in Scotland. I am not complaining though.

As I type this post, the weather man is saying that the brief spell of the good weather is coming to an end. Its going start getting cloudy, rainy, gloomy and cold. So much for the good weather. I hope we have a good summer unlike last year when we didn't feel it was summer. It was raining almost everyday.

This is another dish that can be made in a jiffy for a quick snack or a complete meal.This is a slight variation to my Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. I added thawed frozen chopped spinach, increased the amount of garlic and didn’t add the chilli flakes to the oil to make this child-friendly.

It's the peeling and chopping garlic that's time consuming. That's where my son helped me out on this one. Noooo. He didn't sit and peel the garlic layer by layer. I put each clove in the Pestle and Mortar and he would hit it till it crushed. I would take out the "yuck" (his word for the peel) and he would put it in my mini food processor. He then helped me pulse it to a fine chop.

After all that and getting excited at the thought of eating spaghetti, he didn't eat. I actually had to tell him stories and make him eat. He's not able to slurp it up - so I guess he needs more time. P and I enjoyed it with a generous sprinkling of Red Chilli Flakes.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

200 gms Dried Spaghetti (I used Whole Wheat) – cooked in salt water as per package instructions
100 gms Spinach - chopped finely
3 tbsp Chopped Garlic
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Red Chilli Flakes to taste


Method

1. Heat Olive Oil in a pan.
2. When the oil is hot, add the Chopped Garlic and fry until the Garlic starts to change the colour.
3. Add the Spinach and toss till the its cooked.
4. Add the Spaghetti and toss well until it is coated well with the Spinach and Garlic.
5. Add Chilli Flakes, mix and serve hot.

This goes to the following events:
Radhika's Let's Cook #13 - Greens
Srav's Cooking Concepts #8 - Vegan Diet
Kalyani's Holi Fest - Colourful Palette
Krithi's &Denny's Serve it - Stir Fried
Ayeesha's Healthy Morsels - Pregnancy
Srivalli's Kid's Delight hosted this month by Rujuta
Frugal Food Fridays hosted this month by Pigling Bland
Sumee's Bon Vivant Moments #2 - Savoury Items
Chef Al dente's Gimme GREEN
Saint-Patrick Challenge on Very Good Recipes

Palak Roti / Spinach Flat Bread

Me being a Telugu (South Indian), never had Rotis much at home. So for me to learn how to make them was a task. Now, I can say I can make decent (edible) rotis. All thanks to Aayi’s Recipes. She has a pictorial of how to make Rotis / Chapatis. If you want the basics, please refer to her page.

Once I could make rotis / phulkas, I decided to make a variation. I wanted to make palak rotis. They are healthy and quiet tasty as well. Its also a great way to make kids (small and big alike) eat their spinach. So here’s what I did. The rolling out and cooking is similar to the Phulkas on Aayi’s Recipes.

Ingredients:
100 gm frozen Spinach - cooked in microwave as per instructions and cooled
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
5 to 6 sprigs coriander (leaves and stems)
Salt to taste

For the Rotis:
2 cups Chapati Atta
Warm Milk to knead the dough
A few drops of Oil
Ghee / Oil for cooking (Optional)

Method:

1. Blend the Spinach, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Ginger Garlic Paste, Coriander and salt to a smooth paste. Add water only if needed.
2. Add this to the dry Chapati Atta and mix well.
3. Add enough warm milk to knead a soft dough.
4. Cover it in a few drops of oil, wrap it in cling film and let it rest for atleast 20 mins.
5. After it has rested, remove the cling film and knead it for 2 mins again.
6. Now make golf sized balls (I usually get about 8 to 9 balls with 2 cups of atta).
7. Take 1 ball and roll it
8. Fry like a Phulka.
9. Once the Phulka is ready, smear it with oil / ghee. Remember, a little goes a long way.
10. Serve with curry / curd / pickle