Bori diye Palong shaak bhaja / Stir fried Spinach with lentil dumplings

And Bappa is gone.
As I sit and type this post, I can see the Visharjan processions slowly moving down the road, one by one.
The air reverberates with the rhythmic beats of the drums, all over. Somewhere the Aarti is being played, signalling the start of Bappa's journey. The roads are covered with pink and red gulal.
People dressed up in traditional attires ... men in white kurtas and ladies in sarees ... accompany the vehicle carrying Lord Ganesh, dancing along.
I watch, quietly bidding Bappa adieu.
Ten days gone in a flash.

This year, the rain gods have played spoilsport. So Ganeshotsav was a slightly subdued affair.
I had a guest at home; so hardly noticed the festive days going by.
Going down to the aarti inside our society complex was by itself a task this time.

Today there is a little calm in the house.
Guest gone. Routine back.
Rains back, after a respite of two wee days.

These days I am on a mission of cleaning up all pending photographs and making posts of them.
Some of them are as old as two years back.
Or more.
I want to be done with them before I forget the actual recipe.
Thank god my recipes do not have much ingredients or complex processes ... so far I have been in stream all along.

These photographs of the Palong shaak with Bori have been in my folder for too long.
After selecting the few photos, they sat in my drafts again ... I think for around a month or so.
Hence I'll finish with these first.
I'm short of time today. So it will be a short write and an even shorter recipe.

Growing up I got to eat a good variety of leafy vegetables or shaaks.
But the only leafy vegetables that we get here are the palak or spinach, the methi or fenugreek leaves, some Amaranth and the dill.
That's all I guess.
So, after using the palak in gravies, dals and chorchoris, I sometimes make a bhaja or a stir fry out of it.
Some chopped onions for sweetness, as the palak is slightly salty on its own, some chopped garlic for flavour and some fried and crushed Boris thrown in, it turns into the perfect shaak bhaja to go on the side of with a little gorom bhaat or steamed rice.

Need :

Palong shaak / Palak / Spinach -  (washed well and chopped) 1 coffee mug ful
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 3 big sized cloves, chopped
Haldi / Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp 
Whole red chilles - 1, broken
Boris - 6 to 8 pieces
Mustard oil or any cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch

How to :

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadahi or pan.
Let in the Bori s and stir fry on low heat till they turn brown.
Remove and keep aside.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the same kadahi.
Add the whole red chillies and the onion.
Fry till onion turns translucent and the raw smell is gone.
Now add the chopped garlic and fry well.

Add the chopped palak, haldi, salt and sugar.
Stir well and cover.
Cook for around 5 minutes.
Remove cover and give a good stir.
Cook uncovered till all moisture disappears.
Crush the fried bori s lightly by hand and add to the palak.
Give a good stir.
Remove from heat.
Simple, wholesome shaak bhaja is ready.

 

Serve hot.
Goes great with steamed rice and some dal.
You can eat it with rotis too.

Enjoy!

Palak Dal / Spinach cooked with lentils

December. Already!
Last year this time I was on unfamiliar soils. Trying my best ... well not exactly my best but try I did ... to settle in. More than the new people, the climate got me.
I just could not get over the crisp, cool and wonderfully pleasant weather I had left behind.
People soothed me ... I'll get used to it ... they said.
I tried to believe them.
But my heart did not. Believe, I mean. Did not even try to.
And it was not helping me at all.

After coming back, every day has thumbed it's nose to me ... proving me right  and making me realise all over again what I had missed.
Not that I am complaining. With this wonderful weather I can take 10 thumbs, or noses, on, happily.

One thing that I missed here the whole year through was the rains .... except in the rainy season.
It never rained to surprise you.
And how I wished for a December or January rain ... the light drizzle of this little hilly city, that will catch me with surprise and make us shiver with the intensified cold.
Nah ... never got one.
Till now.

The last two weeks, it has rained intermittently.
On and off.
Just when we set off for the long drive promised by B on our anniversary day ... it rained.
Clean and sprightly droplets, happy and sparkling in the late afternoon sun.
We had just stepped out of the restaurant after lunch and were heading towards the expressway.
I was savouring every moment and sight ... given that I was actually being able to sit in the car and go for a drive was making me doubly thankful.
And the rain was a bonus.
And like a good bonus, it lasted till we had our fill. And then the late evening sun burst out of the clouds, gave us a picturesque goodbye and went to rest behind the Khandala hills.
And still left some vibrant colours spread across the sky till darkness took over.

It rained last night ... again. The blissful sound of pouring made us switch off the telly and rush to the balcony.
It was raining in earnest. And the trees were covered with fog.
We stood there ... taking in the cold air and the spray on our faces.
B suggested coffee. But I suggested just standing there ... I knew it would only for sometime .. then all that will be left will be the clean air and the fog enveloping us.
We stood there for a long time.
And got up this morning to a beautiful, fog enveloped morning.
And yes, there is a very light drizzle too.
I cannot do without the sun ... but, just for today, I wish that the sun gets a day off. :-)

I make this dal with Palak / Spinach very often ... most of the times for dinner, which is why I had never made a post on this. Right ... for the lack of good photographs.
Paired with hot, fluffy rotis and some salad on the side, this make for a good, wholesome meal.
I had learnt the adding of  fried garlic as garnish when I learnt to make this ... so had sprinkled some on the top too.
Else, just the addition of garlic while cooking is enough.


Need :

Palak / Spinach - 1 bunch
Chana dal / Bengal gram - 1 cup
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves
Jeera / cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Haldi / turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Ginger -  1", grated
Green chillies - 2
Ghee - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Whole red chilli - 1
Water - around 3 cups

How to :

Pick, wash and chop the palak.
Wash and soak the chana dal for around 20 mins.
Slice the garlic into roundels. 


Cook the chana dal in a pressure cooker with the grated ginger + green chillies + salt + haldi powder, for 2 whistles on low heat.

Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan.
Add the garlic slices and stir fry till brown.
Add the whole red chilli and remove from heat.

In the same ghee ( add some more if needed ), add jeera and the chopped palak.
Add red chiili powder and a little salt.
Fry for a while, till the palak releases water.
When slightly dryish, add the boiled dal and give a good stir.
Add water and salt, if necessary.

Add the roasted jeera powder and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer for a while, covered.

Serve the dal steaming hot with the fried garlic and chilli sprinkled on top.
Goes great with rotis as well as rice.
A perfect dish for a fog enveloped winter evening.

Enjoy!!

Palak & Dal Soup / Spinach and Lentil soup

It is December. It is supposed to be winter. It is supposed to be cold outside ... and you are supposed to cosy up in the evenings with some great, hot soup.

But the picture is very different. How can we enjoy soup when it is 31 degrees outside? Maybe I'll have to resort to cold soups for a while.

A nip in the morning air in the middle of Nov. saw me all excited and looking forward to some cold days. And I set off with my first soup of the season ... the palak soup.

My version of this soup keeps up with my basic rule in cooking ... simple and fast to make. No spending more than a required minute.

I did not fry the veggies .... just dunked them into the cooker with water .... and later blended the cooked stuff in the cooker directly.

I did not use any cornflour/maida to thicken. Instead I added a little moong dal .... it acts as a thickening agent ... and is healthy too. :-)

I did not use any garam masala or any other flavour that might overwhelm the natural flavours of the veggies.
And this version is completely fat free . If you want, you can add a dollop of butter while serving. If not ... makes no difference to the taste at all.

Need : Fresh palak leaves, trimmed and washed, a little soaked yellow moong dal, tomatoes, carrots, sliced onion, whole green chilli (optional), garlic cloves, salt and sugar to taste.

How to : Put in everything into a pressure cooker with enough water. Wait for 3 to 4 whistles.

Remove cover when steam is released completely and wait for a while to cool a little.

Blend everything .... if you have a hand blender, you can blend without removing from the cooker.

Reheat again till it starts to boil. Adjust thickness with water and check seasoning.

Serve with a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper.

Great as is. Or serve with croutons / hot rotis / herb bread and salad for a full meal. :-)