Palak Pulao (Spinach Rice)

Pushpa Chechi this recipe is for you, I'm sorry it took me this long to put it up.

This is a nutritious rice dish, you can add other greens too, but spinach is so convenient to use and easily available. This pulao is not the fluffy dry kind of a pulao, its more like a rissotto I want to say, the rice does not get mushy or anything, but the whole thing stays together, very comforting to eat.

1 cup Basmati Rice washed and drained

2 cups chopped spinach/ palak

1/2 onion chopped fine

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil or ghee

Grind to a paste: 1 tomato, 1/2 inch ginger, 1 clove garlic, 1 green chilli, 2 tbsp mint leaves, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 3 cardamom pods.

Method:

Heat oil or ghee, add onion, fry till well browned.

Add ground paste, turmeric pwd, and chilli pwd.

Fry till mixture is browned and thick.

Add rice, saute for a minute.

Add spinach, saute for a minute, and add salt.

Add 2 and1/2 cup water, and cook in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle.

If not using a pressure cooker, just cover and cook till done about 20 minutes.

Once the pressure cooker cools, open and serve with raita.

I served mine with Beetroot Pachadi.

Aloo Rasedar

Aloo Rasedar is a different kind of side dish to eat with puris, especially if you get tired of eating it with the usual Aloo Sabji. This is a popular dish usually served for breakfast, in places like the Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Actually good to serve for brunch, lunch or even dinner.

1 Potato boiled and broken into big chunks

1 large tomato chopped fine

1/2 inch ginger minced

2 green chillies minced

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

a pinch of hing

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1/2 tsp coriander pwd

1/4 tsp mango pwd

1/4 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat oil add cumin seeds and hing, let it splutter.

Add tomatoes, grated ginger, green chillies, saute for a minute.

Add turmeric, chilli pwd, coriander pwd, and mango pwd.

Keep stirring the tomatoes, add a little water if it starts sticking to the bottom or gets too dry.

Once the tomatoes are soft and the mixture looks like it's blended well add potatoes, salt and 1 cup of water, if you want a really watery gravy add more water.

I usually put this whole thing in the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle, but you can just cover it up and cook on low to medium heat and let it come together.

Once done add garam masala and coriander leaves, remove from heat.

Serve with puris, this will easily serve 2 to 3 people.